


Tyler Joseph x Reader

by blurryfics



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Anxiety, Depression, F/F, Fluff and Angst, M/M, References to Depression, References to anxiety, Self-Esteem Issues, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2019-08-29 15:22:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 47
Words: 86,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16746529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blurryfics/pseuds/blurryfics
Summary: A collection of all my Tyler Joseph x Reader fics from my Tumblr account. None of these are related to one another (unless otherwise stated). Any requests will be stated in the summary box!





	1. Black Coffee

Three minutes. That was all that was left until your shift was over and you were free to go home, curl up in bed, and binge watch as much Netflix as you wanted. It had been another terrible day at work, and you were pretty sure that if you had to deal with one more naggy customer or spilled cup of coffee, you would scream.

The bell over the door of the café chimed, and you bit down on the inside of your cheek to keep yourself from sighing loudly. Instead, you pulled out your notepad and plastered a smile on your face.

“Hey, how are you doing?” you asked the man that walked up to the counter. He seemed familiar, and you were pretty sure he had been in here a few times before.

He had a beanie on that was pulled down to just over his eyebrows, and a scarf was wrapped up to cover most of his neck and mouth. His nose was bright red and he was sniffling, but you figured that was just from the cold weather outside. It had been one of the coldest winters on record this year. He reached up with a gloved hand and pulled the scarf down, allowing him to speak more clearly.

“Could I just get a black coffee, please?” he sniffled.

He seemed upset, but you tried to ignore that. You didn’t have time to deal with upset people right now, your shift was almost over and your warm bed was practically calling your name.

“Sure thing. Is that for here or to go?”

“For here.”

“Alright, your total is $2.89.”

You slid the order down to your coworker while the man dug around in his pockets. After a moment, he pulled out three crinkled dollar bills and handed them to you.

“Keep the change,” he managed a weak smile, but his eyes were watering.

You opened your mouth to say something, but he walked away before you had the chance.

“Y/N, you shift is over,” your coworker called to you.

You nodded and walked to the back of the shop, taking off your coffee stained apron as you did so. With one swift motion, you pulled on your coat and bag and headed back out to the front of the café.

“See you tomorrow,” you smiled at your coworker. They gave you a small wave in return.

You started to walk towards the front door, but stopped and glanced at the guy from earlier. He was sitting at a table alone, fiddling with his mug. Tears were now visibly falling down his face, and you knew you couldn’t walk home with a clear conscience if you just left him here. With a sigh, you walked over to his table. Your warm bed would have to wait.

“Do you mind if I sit?”

He hastily wiped away his tears before looking up at you, “Sure.”

You swung your bag over the back of the chair and took a seat.

“I’m sorry if I’m bothering you, but I couldn’t help but notice how upset you are and you’re here alone, so I wanted to make sure everything was ok.”

A hint of a smile flickered on his face for a second before fading once again.

“Thanks. I’m just going through a bit of a rough patch right now. I learned that I’m getting evicted today, which means I’m probably moving back home to Ohio.”

“That’s quite a ways from here.”

“Tell me about it. I guess it’s for the best, since I don’t really know anybody here. It’s just hard because all my friends told me that I couldn’t do it, and I wanted to prove them wrong.”

You nodded solemnly, not quite what sure to say to help reassure the stranger.

“You don’t have to sit with me, if you don’t want. I’m sure you have places to be.”

“Trust me, I don’t,” you smiled. “Turns out you’re not the only one who’s alone in this city.”

“Well, I appreciate the company.”

You ended up sitting with the stranger until well past the end of your shift. By the time you decided to part ways, he had completely forgotten about his eviction notice and the thought of Netflix had been pushed to the back of your mind. He ended up walking you back to your apartment, claiming that he would feel guilty if anything happened to you during the dark walk back.

“Tyler, by the way,” he said as you reached for the door to your apartment building.

“Y/N,” you smiled in return.

“Thanks again, I don’t know what I would have done had you not sat and talked with me.”

“Don’t mention it.”

He gave you one final smile before turning on his heel and walking down the sidewalk. You hoped that wouldn’t be the last time you saw him.


	2. Refrigerator Lights

_I’m marrying the guy that will dance with me around the kitchen in the refrigerator light at two am._

Tyler’s hand was warm on your lower back as you danced. He held you close to him, although that didn’t surprise you. He always liked to have you close.

“Can I ask you something?” he asked quietly.

“Of course, Ty.”

Despite all the people around you, everyone seemed to be in their own little world as they danced with their partners. You were just happy to have all eyes off of you for the first time that day.

“When did you decide you wanted to marry me?”

You laughed lightly, “That’s kind of a funny story.”

“I’d love to hear it.”

“Ok, so you remember that night that I couldn’t sleep, and I went downstairs and laid down on the counter because I didn’t know what else to do with myself?”

His eyebrows furrowed for a moment before nodding.

“And then you came downstairs like half an hour later because you woke up from a nightmare and then I wasn’t there so you came looking for me?”

“Yeah?”

“And then after I calmed you down, we decided to make quesadillas, but we decided that we needed something to fill the air since the usual noise of the outside world wasn’t there. So we put on some music and danced around the kitchen while half awake. Then we ate our quesadillas out on the porch in the moonlight?”

“Of course.”

“That’s when I knew,” you smiled.

“Really?”

“Yep, and it still took you another year to propose.”

“I was nervous!”

“You know you don’t have to be nervous around me,” you smiled.

He leaned down and kissed you.

“When did you know you wanted to marry me?” you asked.

“The first time it crossed my mind was when you slapped Josh,” he laughed.

“Really?” you laughed. “That was way before we ever went on a date.”

“I know,” he smiled. “But the moment I knew I was going to propose was when I had my first anxiety attack around you. Just the way you handled it and took care of me, I knew that was something that I couldn’t ever lose.”

You smiled widely, “I love you, Tyler Joseph.”

“I love you too, Y/N Joseph.”

You smiled and leaned forward, resting your head on his shoulder. A moment later, you leaned back to look at him.

“That still sounds weird to me.”

“Well, you better get used to it, because you’re stuck with it forever.”

“Yeah, yeah,” you rolled your eyes before leaning in and planting another kiss on his lips.


	3. Milkshakes

“I already told you twenty times that we have to go to this event tonight for dad’s work.”

You started to open your mouth to say something.

“I don’t want to hear anymore about this. You’re going and that’s final.”

You groaned loudly and went stomping upstairs, Percy, your loyal dog, following close at your heels. Your bed looked far more appealing than the dress hung over the back of your chair, so you flopped down onto it. Percy jumped up and laid down next to you on the bed.

“I don’t want to go to some stupid event,” you groaned loudly into your bed sheets.

Percy gave you a reassuring lick on the arm and burrowed his face as close to you as possible. You rolled over onto your back and coaxed Percy up onto your stomach. He crawled up and rested his head so that he was looking directly at you.

“I wish I could stay here with you, Percy,” you said, rubbing his head.

He cocked his head to the side. Your phone buzzed in your pocket, so you carefully lifted your back up and slid it out, trying your best not to disturb Percy too much. It was a text from Tyler.

Tyler:  _Are you stuck going to the charity dinner too?_

Y/N:  _Yep…_

Tyler:  _At least we can suffer together!_

You smiled at his text, but quickly wiped it from your face. There was no way you would have a chance with a guy like him, even if he was your best friend.

“You better be getting ready up there!” your mom called.

You placed Percy gently on the bed next to you and swung your legs off. As much as you dreaded going to the actual dinner, you did like getting dressed up. You sat down at your vanity and turned your music on before starting in on your makeup.

An hour and a half later, you had your dress on, your hair up, and your makeup done. You pulled on the shoes that your mom had bought for you, a pair of plain black heels, and wobbled down the steps.

“You look beautiful!” your mom said once she saw you.

“Thanks, Mom.”

Percy came sprinting down the stairs once he realized you had left the room. He had fallen asleep when you were getting ready.

“That dog really does love you,” your mom laughed as Percy sat down next to your feet.

“Well I love him too,” you said, bending down and petting his head.

He licked your hand excitedly. You started to reach for your dress, a habit you had developed, before your mom interrupted you.

“Don’t you dare,” she said sharply.

You settled for shaking your hand out. Your mom gave you a look, but you smiled sweetly at her.

“Y/D/N! Let’s go!” your mom called.

Your dad appeared from the kitchen, wearing a button down shirt and slacks.

“Doesn’t she look beautiful?” your mom asked.

“Gorgeous,” your dad said, walking over and kissing your temple.

You all walked out the door and got into the car. It was an hour long drive, and you spent most of the time staring out the window at the passing trees.

There were already lots of people inside, seated at tables, anxiously awaiting the arrival of their food. There was a large stage at the front of the hall.

“Are you speaking tonight, Dad?” you asked.

“No,” he laughed, “thank goodness. I may like public speaking, but not in front of this many important people.”

He handed our tickets to a woman wearing a black dress. She looked it over.

“Right this way.”

She wound her way through the maze of tables that filled the hall. You looked at the various woman sitting at tables, dressed in long dresses with curled hair. Your simple black dress paled in comparison to theirs.

“Here you are,” the woman smiled at you.  
You sat down at the round table, leaving six open spots.

“Who’s at the table with us?” you asked.

“The Josephs, who else?” your dad smiled.

You felt your stomach tighten up a bit. Once your parents became engaged in a conversation, you pulled your compact mirror back out of your bag and checked your makeup.

You tapped your feet on the ground absentmindedly, they made a satisfying clicking sound whenever your heel hit the floor. A few of your dad’s coworkers had passed and your dad had chatted with them for a while before they had to hurry off back to wherever they were sitting.

“Hey, look who it is!” your dad said cheerily, standing up from his seat.

You twisted in your chair to see who your dad was talking to, although you already had a clue. There was only one person your dad talked to like that. Sure enough, the Josephs were standing behind you, all the kids included.

You watched as your mom stood up too, your cue to stand up with them. As gracefully as possible, you stood up from your chair and smoothed out your skirt.

“Y/N! You look gorgeous!” Kelly exclaimed as you looked up at her.

“Thank you,” you smiled brightly. She complimented you almost every time she saw you, but it still made you blush almost as much as Tyler did. She took a step forward and pulled you into a hug.

“It’s so nice to see you again,” she said as she hugged me.

“You too!”

Chris reached a hand out to you. You grasped it in yours and shook it.

“Been practicing that handshake, haven’t you?” he smiled.

“Just for you, Mr. Joseph,” you laughed.

“Hey, Y/N,” Tyler said with a tight smile.

“Hey, Tyler,” you smiled.

Jay ran up to you and hugged you tightly.

“Hey, Jay,” you laughed as he hugged you.

He squeezed you tightly before letting you go. You waved at Madison and Zack.

“Shall we sit?” your mom asked.

The adults nodded in agreement and you all sat back down at the table. Jay fought to try and sit next to you, but one quick conversation and Tyler got the seat.

“Hey, Y/N! Guess what?“ Jay asked excitedly.

“What, Jay?“

“Tyler took me to get ice cream yesterday!“

“Really? That’s awesome!“

The sound of someone clearing their throat filled the hallway, causing a hush to fall over the hallway.

“Hello, everyone! And welcome to the 26th Annual Charity Dinner! While your food is being served, I have a few words to say.“

You started spacing out at this point. Without realizing it, you had become completely glassy-eyed and staring at the table. It wasn’t until you felt something nudge your leg that you stopped spacing out.

Tyler’s phone was in your lap, out of your parents’ sight, open to the notes app.

Bored?

You quickly typed a response.

Bored doesn’t even scratch the surface of how I feel right now.

Double checking that both of your parents were deeply engrossed in the speech, you passed the phone back over to him. You watched his reaction as he read it. He looked over to you and smiled.

You watched as he closed out of the notes app and opened a different one. It was the dots game, one that you had played a multitude of times during long car rides together. You bit back a laugh. He looked at you and raised his eyebrows. You nodded.

Two games later, the speech was over and plates full of steak and mashed potatoes were in front of you. Your mom eyed you carefully as you ate, making sure you were using all the manners that she taught you. You sat quietly, listening to the parents converse. You and Tyler made faces at one another most of the time.

Waiters came around and collected empty plates from your table. Soon after, music started up and people started to move to the front of the hall to dance. Tyler opened his mouth to say something, but Jay ran over to you and interrupted him.

“Y/N, will you dance with me?“ he asked excitedly.

“Sure,“ you smiled.

Jay held his arm out for you and you linked your arm with his. The parents laughed a bit before following us.

You rested your hands on Jay’s shoulders. You danced for a bit before Jay decided it wasn’t quite as fun as he had hoped and wanted to return to the table, where Tyler was sitting alone on his phone.

“Hey,“ you smiled, taking a seat.

“You’re back,“ he looked up at you and smiled. “I was-uh-going to ask if you wanted to…dance?“ he stuttered a bit.

“Sure,“ you smiled, immediately getting back up again.

You walked back out to the dance floor. You could already feel your mom’s eyes drilling into you. Despite her love for Kelly and Chris Joseph, Tyler wasn’t her favorite. She was fine as long as you remained strictly friends, which is why you hadn’t told her about your true feelings.

It was much more comfortable to dance with Tyler since he had a few inches height advantage, even when you were wearing heels. You hesitantly placed your hands around his neck and he put his on your waist.

“This beats any speech by a long shot,” he smiled, laughing a bit.

“I think I might have fallen asleep had you not done something.”

He nodded, “You looked like it.”

“If you noticed something, that means my mom will for sure be chewing me out later,” you rolled your eyes. “Probably about the dot game too, if she noticed.”

“Get through it and then grab your phone and give me a play by play,” he laughed.

“As if I would do anything else.”

You danced for a little while in silence, listening to the music. It was a song you liked.

“Guess who’s six months are up?” Tyler smiled happily.

“For real?”

“As of yesterday,” his smile changed to one of pride.

“So now you’re going to start driving me around everywhere, right?” you laughed.

He shrugged, “If you want.”

You felt color rising to your cheeks.

“Maybe I’ll just use you as a personal delivery service,” you smiled.

“Or maybe we could get milkshakes together after this whole dinner is over?” he smiled, raising an eyebrow.

“For real?” you smiled.

“My parents are cool with it. I had to drive myself here anyway, so I have my car.”

Your smile dropped at the mention of parents, “I’ll have to see if my mom will even let me.”

“I’d have you home by midnight, if it helps,” he smiled.

Milkshakes with Tyler Joseph, in his car, driving around at night. The mere thought of it brought a smile to your face.

You danced and talked for awhile longer until your mom walked over to you.

“Why don’t you come sit down for awhile?” she smiled at you.

You reluctantly pulled your arms from around Tyler’s neck. It felt weird not to have the heat of his shoulders against your forearms and his hands on your waist. You must have been dancing longer than you thought.

Tyler knew better than to try and walk back to the table with you. He gave you a reassuring half smile. Sure enough, your mom walked you straight past the table towards the back of the hall.

“Do you realize how unacceptable your behavior during the speech was? First off, you look as if you’re about to fall asleep, then you start playing games on your phone with Tyler! What if one of your father’s coworkers had walked over and seen you ignoring one of the most important men who bosses around your father? And as for Tyler, you know how I feel about you two, especially dancing,” she hissed.

“I’m sorry, Mom.”

You knew that any chance of you getting milkshakes was pretty much gone by now.

“Sorry is not enough, young lady. You need to understand the potential consequences of your actions. Give me your phone.”

“What? Why?”

“You can have it back next week.”

You sighed and pulled your phone out from under your dress. She snapped it away from you and tucked it quickly away in her purse.

“Now get back to the table and sit down. You will not be dancing again.”

You nodded, knowing better than to fight her on this. Dancing was the most fun that you had had all night, and your chances of doing even that were gone too.

Tyler was sitting at the table, reading something on his phone when you got back.

“Hey,” he looked up at you.

Your flung yourself into your seat.

“Hi,” you said, a bit more sadly than you had intended to.

Zack was the only other one at the table. Everyone else had disappeared.

“What happened?”

“She took my phone away and told me I couldn’t dance anymore tonight. So basically I can sit here and stare at a wall.”

“So it’s a no for milkshakes then?”

“Milkshakes?” Zack interjected.

Tyler shot him a look that immediately shut him up before turning back to you and raising his eyebrows.

“Not necessarily, I just have to be angel child for the rest of the night,” you laughed.

“Good luck with that,” Tyler laughed.

“Hey!” you said, raising an arm to smack him. Just then, your mom appeared out of the corner of your eye, causing you to immediately drop your arm and straighten your posture.

She came over and stood by you, smiling brightly.

“How are you doing, Y/N?”

“I’m well.”

“You father and I want you to come meet someone, one of the men that your father works with.”

“Ok.”

You stood up and smoothed out your dress. Your mom had already started walking away, allowing you a second to turn around and make a face at Tyler. He laughed.

She walked to where two men were standing, one of whom was your dad, and chatting happily. A boy who appeared to be your age was standing by the other man, wearing a button down shirt and slacks.

“Here she is,” your mom smiled.

You smiled and waved.

“Y/N, this is my coworker, Dave, and his son, Matthew. Matthew, Dave, this is my daughter, Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you,” Dave smiled, holding out a hand.

You took his hand and shook it firmly, just like you would do with Tyler’s dad. Matthew smiled at you and shook his head.

“Y/D/N tells me that you love writing,” Dave said, typical adult talk.

“Yeah, I want to be a writer when I’m older.”

This caused a laugh from him, “What do you like to write?”

“Oh, you know, typical stuff. Fantasy, adventure, that kind of stuff.”

“My son, Matthew, is a musician himself,” he said proudly.

“What instrument do you play?” you asked.

“Piano,” he shrugged.

“I have a friend who plays piano,” you said, thinking of Tyler. “It’s a beautiful instrument.”

As there was more forced small talk between you, you realized that your parents, or at least, your mom, had every intention of trying to set the two of you up. You followed along, knowing it was your best chance of being able to get milkshakes. Already, your mom seemed to be in a significantly better mood. You kept your face placid, the best way to get her to bend to your will was to bend to hers first.

“Well, we best get going now,” Dave smiled. “The wife’s at home with the new baby. A crier, that one is,” he smiled, before resting a hand on his son’s shoulder and turning on his heel.

Your mom turned to you, smiling widely, “Lovely boy, isn’t he?”

You nodded.

“I know you’re bored, darling. We’ll be headed home soon,” she rested a hand on you shoulder.

Now or never, you thought.

“About that…”

Your mom stopped walking and turned to you, “What?”

“Tyler offered to take me to get milkshakes and I was wondering if I could go?”

“It’s not a date, is it?”

You scoffed, “No, Mom. I’ve told you, we’re just friends. His six months just ended, and I think he wanted to drive a friend around,” you shrugged.

She narrowed her eyes at you, “Fine, but be home by midnight. And I’ll give you your phone back for now in case you need to check in, but I expect it back as soon as you get home.”

“I was already planning on it,” you bit back the smile that was threatening to creep across your face as your mom handed your phone back to you.

You walked back over to the table where Tyler was sitting with his family. You took a seat next to him and waited for your mom to become engaged in some other conversation.

“It’s a yes,” you smiled.

Tyler perked up, “You can get milkshakes?”

You nodded happily. A half smile crept across his face.

“Awesome.”

Your dad walked over and clapped a hand down onto your shoulder, forcing you a bit further into the chair.

“How are you doing, pea?”

“Good,” you smiled up at him.

“Did Mom tell you we’re about to leave?”

“I’m actually going to hang out with Tyler for awhile.”  
“She said that was ok?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright, pea.”

“Speaking of which, are you about ready?” Tyler asked.

“Yeah,” you smiled.

You both stood up and you walked over to your mom.

“We’re going to get going now, Mom.”

She spun around to look at you.

“Be safe, I love you,” she smiled, pulling you into a hug.

“Love you too,” you mumbled as she held you tightly.

“Be sure to let your father know that you’re leaving.”

You nodded and walked back to where your dad and Chris Joseph were standing.

“I’m leaving.”

“Ok, I love you,” he, too, pulled you into a hug.

“Love you too.”

“Do you have money?”

“I didn’t even think about that.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his worn, leather wallet. There was a five dollar bill sitting inside, as if it had been waiting for you. He handed it to you with a smile.

“Here you are, pea.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

Tyler was standing off to the side, once again looking over something on his phone. You grabbed your coat from over the back of the chair and walked over to him.

“Do you ever look up from that thing?” you laughed.

“No, but thanks for asking, Mom,” he retorted.

You made a face at him.

“Ready to go?” he raised his eyebrows.

You looked around, “I think so.”

“Sweet,” he smiled.

He started walking towards the door and you quickly fell into step with him, having to move pretty quickly in your heels to keep up with his longer strides.

“How did you convince your mom to let you come?”

You sighed as you pulled your coat on, “You remember how she wanted me to come talk to this guy, right?”

Tyler pulled on his own jacket, “Yeah.”

“Well turns out this guy has a son who is conveniently my age and single.”

“Was he cute?”

You shrugged, “He was alright. I like someone else though.”

Tyler held the door open for you as you walked out of the building, so you gave him a small nod. The sound of your heels on the pavement brought a smile to your face.

“You didn’t tell me that! Who is it?”

“You don’t get to know.”

“Why not? You always tell me!”

“That was when we were younger, now this is more serious.”

“Fine, then I won’t tell you who I like.”

You opened your mouth to say something, but stopped yourself. A fight was exactly what he wanted. Tyler started to slow down his pace, signaling that you were nearing the car. He unlocked the car and you heard the familiar beeping sound. You climbed into the passenger seat of the truck, which was a bit more difficult than you had anticipated. Wearing heels made everything more difficult. Tyler hopped in and slammed the door closed. Almost immediately he pulled his suit jacket off and rolled up his sleeves.

“It’s weird to finally be in your truck after watching you drive it everywhere for the past six months,” you smiled.

“It’s nothing special,” he shrugged.

You looked around. There were a few wrappers and random bits of things scattered around, but it was mostly clean. You couldn’t care less, you were just happy to be around Tyler. He started up the car and pulled out of the parking lot. The sun had long since set.

“I wish I didn’t have to wear these stupid clothes anymore,” you groaned, taking your jacket off and setting it on the seat next to you. “Do you care if I take off my shoes?”

“Go ahead.”

You undid the straps on your shoes and tossed them on the ground. Your mom would never have let you take your shoes off, which made you smile.

“What’s got you so happy?” Tyler laughed

“The fact that I can take my shoes off and my mom isn’t here to stop me.”

“She doesn’t let you take your shoes off?”

“Not until we get home, no.”

“Wow, that sucks.”

“Tell me about it. Anyway, where are we getting milkshakes?”

“There’s a place not too far from here that my dad likes to take us to, I figured we could go there.”

“Sounds good to me.”

You couldn’t think of anything to say after that. Thankfully, Tyler turned on the radio. You once again found myself smiling. The car was quiet, save for Tyler quietly singing, until he pulled into the parking lot of the little shack. He stopped the car and turned to you.

“What do you want?”

You thought for a moment, “Strawberry?”

He nodded and pulled the car forward. It took you a moment to realize that you were staring at his arms while he was driving. You shook yourself and looked out the window. Tyler’s voice became a dull buzzing in the back of your head as you spaced off. It wasn’t until you were being nudged in the shoulder that you came back to reality.

“Y/N?”

“Huh?”

“Here’s your milkshake.”

“Oh, yeah, thanks. I have money,” you said, reaching into your coat pocket.

“It’s fine, I got it.”

“No, I’m going to pay you!” you smiled.

“Not if I don’t let you.”

“C’mon, Tyler. At least take gas money.”

“No.”

Tyler pulled out onto the street. You groaned, knowing better than to distract him while he was driving.

You talked about random stuff most of the way home. It was nice being able to talk to him without someone hanging over your shoulder at any moment.

“Here we are,” Tyler said, pulling up in front of your house.

“Already?”

You checked the clock, half past eleven.

“Thanks for giving me a ride home,” you smiled, pulling on your shoes and throwing your coat over your shoulders.

“Anytime.”

You started to get out of the car, but your foot had barely made it out the door when Tyler started talking again.

“Hey, Y/N?”

“Yeah?” you spun around.

“Can I kiss you?”

“Please.”

Tyler moved his hand to the side of your face and pulled you towards him. You felt your stomach twisting in knots as you inched closer to him. The second that his lips touched yours a smile started to creep onto your face.

“So about that boy you like again…” Tyler said, smiling at me.

“You know me too well,” you smiled brightly.

He pulled you into one final kiss.

“You know, sometimes I hate you,” you laughed.

“I’m really feeling the love,” Tyler laughed in return.

“Bye, Tyler.”

“Bye, Y/N.”

You slammed the door and Tyler drove off. A smile was plastered across your face as you walked towards the house. The living room light was still on, meaning that one of your parents was still up. Knowing your mom, she would want the full rundown of what had happened, so you quickly wiped the smile from your face.

You walked inside and closed the door as quietly as possible. Sure enough, your mom was sat in her armchair, drinking some herbal tea and skimming People magazine. You undid your shoes and scooped them up, knowing that she would get mad if the floor was scuffed up from your heels.

“How was getting milkshakes?”

You mentally slapped yourself for leaving your empty cup in Tyler’s car.

“It was good! Tyler took me to this place that Mr. Joseph likes to take them to near the dinner hall,” you smiled.

“What did you two talk about?”

“Usual stuff, school and all that,” you shrugged.

Your mom narrowed her eyes at you, as if she could tell that you were lying.

“You had a nice time?”

You nodded, trying desperately to suppress the smile that was threatening to creep across your face.

“I’m glad to hear it,” she smiled tautly.

You gave her a quick smile and ran back upstairs before she had a chance to ask for your phone back. Percy was asleep on your bed, but he quickly perked back up when he saw you. His paws scratched your legs as you walked into the room.

“Calm down, Perce, let me get into my pajamas first.”

You somehow managed to get out of your dress without someone helping. Percy was running circles around your room, waiting anxiously for the moment when you would sit back down and he could climb into your lap for back scratches.

You pulled on a pair of athletic shorts and your favorite shirt. Out in the hall, you could hear your mom finally heading to bed. Your mattress bounced a bit as you flung yourself down onto it. Percy crawled up onto your stomach and started licking your face.

“Stop, Percy,” you scrunched up your face, pushing him away slightly.

Your phone vibrated on the bed next to you. You felt around the bed sporadically, curious as to who was texting you at this hour.

There was a text from Tyler shining on your lock screen.

Tyler:  _I was thinking maybe we should…_

You unlocked your phone so that you could see the full message.

Tyler:  _I was thinking maybe we should hang out tomorrow, not necessarily a date but you could come over and we could hang out in the backyard. But if you wanted to get food or something we could._

You smiled at the text.

Y/N:  _Is this your way of asking me on a date, Joseph?_

He read the text almost instantaneously.

Tyler:  _I guess it is :)_

Y/N:  _I’ll have to convince my mom to let me out of the house, but hanging out at your house sounds awesome._

Tyler:  _Awesome :)_

You closed your phone just as another smile crept across your face. Percy snuck forward and once again started to lick your face. You set him on the bed next to you and got up so that you could take your makeup off and get ready for bed. Maybe charity dinners weren’t as bad as you thought.

 

“No,” your mom said, her mouth forming a straight line. “You’re not going out.”

“Please, Mom,” you begged.

“You saw him last night. I think you can go a day without seeing him.”

“Fine.”

You spun on your heel and went stomping towards the stairs. Of course, this tirade only lasted a few moments before your mom had another comment to make.

“What is that in your pocket?” she asked.

You practically felt the color drain from your face. All morning you had done such a good job of keeping your phone hidden away so that she wouldn’t be reminded of the punishment you had received. Just this once it had slipped your mind, and of course she noticed immediately.

“Nothing,” you spun around, hoping you could make up a lie quick enough.

“Is that your phone? You know you’re not supposed to have it.”

“It’s not my phone.”

“Hand it over,” she held out a hand and you knew it was over.

You sighed as you pulled your phone out of your pocket and placed it in her outstretched hand. She smiled as she crossed her arms, prompting you to go stomping all the way back to your room.

“Now what?” you grumbled to nobody in particular as you shut your bedroom door.

Percy watched you as you paced around the room, trying to think of a way that you could sneak out to see Tyler and avoid getting caught. It would be difficult, but if you played your cards right it wasn’t impossible.

You continued to walk the length of your room, practicing the conversation outloud to yourself. By the time that you were heading to confront your Mom, you had prepared answers for every possible question that she could throw at you.

“Hey, Mom,” you said, pulling the sweetest smile that you could muster.

“Yes, dear?” she said without a glance up from her book.

“I was wondering if I could bike over to the library to work on a school project?”

“Why do you need to go to the library to do that?”

“It’s a quiet environment,” you shrugged.

“Do you hear that?” your mom asked.

“Hear what?”

“Exactly. It’s quiet enough here for you to work.”

Well you certainly hadn’t anticipated that one.

“I’ll focus better.”

“The library won’t always be an option, Y/N. You need to learn to focus wherever you are.”

An idea suddenly popped into your head.

“Ok, but can you promise that you won’t bother me at all while I’m working? And I mean at all. When I get in the groove, I don’t want to lose it.”

“Fine, you have my word that unless there’s an emergency, I will not bother you.”

“Thanks,” you smiled, walking over and giving her a quick hug. “I’ll make sure to come down for dinner at six.”

She gave you a reassuring pat on the shoulder and then you took off upstairs. There was no time to waste, you wanted to be able to spend as much time with Tyler as humanly possible.

“You better not rat me out,” you said to Percy as you pulled the screen out of your window.

You pulled the screen inside and leaned it against the wall before wiping your sweaty palms off on your jeans. This wasn’t the first time that you had snuck out of your room, but it never failed to make you nervous. If your mom caught you, you wouldn’t be allowed to leave the house for a month.

You managed to get from your second-story window to the ground in about three minutes flat. Tyler’s house was only a ten minute walk from yours, although it would feel longer since you didn’t have your music to listen to like usual. Hopefully he wouldn’t mind you showing up on his doorstep out of the blue.

“Please answer,” you muttered as you knocked on Tyler’s door.

In hindsight, this probably wasn’t the smartest plan. There was a good chance that one of Tyler’s parents would rat you out to your mom, although it was too late to turn back now.

“Y/N?” Tyler said as he swung the front door open.

“Tyler,” you whispered, grabbing his arm and pulling him outside.

He closed the door behind him and looked at you in confusion.

“Sorry,” you huffed. “I snuck out. My mom has no idea that I’m here and if your parents see me, I’ll get ratted out.”

“What does she think you’re doing?” he asked.

“I told her that I had a project to work on and that I didn’t want to be disturbed. She doesn’t expect to see me until six.”

“What did you do? Climb out the window?”

“It wasn’t the first time,” you smirked.

“Wait, so what am I supposed to tell my family?”

“I don’t know!” you panicked. “I just wanted to see you, I didn’t really think this through.”

“It’s fine. Just follow my lead,” he smiled.

Tyler opened the door and carefully crept inside. His family was nowhere to be seen which you were thankful for. The less you had to lie today, the better.

You followed him through the hallway towards the stairs. He made a point to exaggerate his movements, making you have to focus more on stifling laughter than walking quietly. It seemed odd that none of his siblings had come sprinting down the steps yet, it seemed like they were always running around when you were over.

“Almost there,” Tyler whispered as you neared the top of the steps.

“Tyler!” his mom called from another room.

“Oh no. Quick!”

You and Tyler took off at a run for his room. He shut the door behind you and spun around to face you.

“Get in the closet,” he said plainly.

“Excuse me?”

“My mom is going to come up here looking for me and she’ll see you. Get in the closet.”

You had just enough time to jump into the closet and shut the doors before Tyler’s mom knocked on his door. She entered the room a few moments later, and without realizing it you started to hold your breath. Tyler quickly answered all of her questions and ushered her out of the room.

“You’re good,” he said, flopping back onto his bed.

“Finally,” you sighed, stepping out of the closet and joining Tyler on the bed. “It smelled overwhelmingly like cologne in there.”

“Hey, it’s better than everything smelling gross.”

“You have a point.”

Tyler rolled to the side and threw an arm across your stomach; his nose was pressed to your cheek.

“Whatcha doing there?” you laughed.

“What am I supposed to be doing?” Tyler asked, fear just barely detectable in his voice.

“You’re not doing anything wrong,” you reassured him, reaching up and placing a hand on his arm.

“Oh, ok. Sorry if that was a weird question, you’re just like my first girlfriend or whatever.”

“Ty, it’s fine. We’re still best friends, remember?”

“Right,” he said. “Except now I get to do this.”

He turned your head towards him and pulled you into a kiss. You managed to keep a straight face for a few seconds before you started giggling.

“What?” Tyler smiled, pulling away.

“Sorry, I’ve just had a massive crush on your for what feels like forever and now that we’re actually together it feels surreal.”

“Tell me about it.”

You sighed, “My mom is going to kill me when she finds out.”

“Hey, you don’t need to worry about that right now.”

“You’re right.”

 

The two of you hung out in his room for quite some time. Thankfully you didn’t have to hide in the closet anymore, although there were a few close calls. You were just happy that you had found a way out of the house to spend time with him.

“My mom should be in the kitchen,” Tyler explained, slowly opening the door.

“How are we going to get past her? She’ll totally see us on the stairs.”

“I’ll handle this, wait here.”

Tyler took off before you even had a chance to ask what was going on. You could just barely hear him talking to his mom downstairs, although you couldn’t tell what he was saying. His mom came up the steps a few seconds later. Tyler watched as she rounded the corner before waving at you frantically.

You tried to run as quietly as possible over to the steps. Tyler grabbed your hand and all but pulled you down the steps alongside him.

“Tyler!” his mom called as the two of you reached the bottom of the steps.

“Quick!” Tyler whisper yelled as you ran down the hallway.

The two of you reached the front door. You stepped outside, but Tyler paused for a moment.

“I’m going to go get the mail!” he called before quickly shutting the door.

“That was wild,” you smiled, breathing quickly from the adrenaline and sprint down the hallway. “What did you tell her?”

“I said Jay needed her. She probably realized that it was a lie and wanted to know why I lied to her.”

“Got it,” you smiled.

“Yeah. Hey, I’m really glad you came over to see me today, even if that meant you sneaking out.”

“I am too. Now we just have to hope that my mom doesn’t find out.”

“Kiss for good luck?” Tyler smirked.

“Of course.”

Tyler pulled you into a kiss. You hated that your mom disapproved of him even though he made you happier than anyone else.

“I don’t know that I’ll ever get used to this,” Tyler smiled.

“Me neither,” you glanced at your watch. “Ok, I’ve got to run.”

“See you later!” Tyler called as you made your way down the front steps.

“Don’t forget the mail!” you called over your shoulder.

It was 5:58 by the time that you made it up the tree and outside your bedroom window. You had one leg over the windowsill when you noticed your door handle starting to turn. There was no way you were going to be able to make it inside by the time the door was open.

“Y/N, dinner is-what in the world do you think you’re doing?” your mom asked upon seeing you halfway out the window.

Your mind was scrambling for answers. There had to be a believable lie that you could tell her.

“The neighbor kids got their frisbee stuck on the roof and I had to get it down for them.”

She looked confused for a moment, but seemed to believe it, “Alright, well, fix your window and then come downstairs for dinner.”

“Ok,” you smiled.

You sighed as soon as she left the room. That had been way too close of a call and you were in enough trouble as it is. At least you had been able to come up with a convincing lie.

Now all you had to do was figure out a way to tell her you were dating Tyler.


	4. Nerf Wars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe you could do where Tyler and the reader have kids or something? Just a idea, love your writing!!

You grabbed the bags of groceries from the backseat of your car before bumping the door closed with your hip. At this point, you weren’t completely sure how you were going to get the front door open with your hands full, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.

After a bit of struggle with the keys, the front door was open and you were safely inside, groceries still in hand. The house was oddly quiet for a typical afternoon, and you were a little unsettled.

“Hello?” you called, taking a couple steps further into the house.

Your husband, Tyler, suddenly popped out from behind the couch, causing you to almost drop the grocery bags that you were carrying. He was red in the face, and he was carefully scanning the living room.

“Shh, they’ll hear you,” he said, his eyes narrowed.

“What in the world are you doing?” you whispered, not yet sure exactly what you were hiding from.

“The kids,” he said, holding up a nerf gun, “they’re after me. I recommend you find a way to defend yourself.”

As if on cue, your oldest son ran into the room, nerf gun in hand. Tyler quickly dived behind the couch before he could be seen.

“Mom!” he smiled upon seeing you. “Have you seen Dad? I thought I heard him talking…”

“Nope, haven’t seen him,” you smiled innocently as you walked towards the kitchen.

Your son pulled a walkie talkie out of his pocket. “Moose. Pigeon. This is lion reporting in from the living room, it’s all clear. Over.”

He tucked the walkie talkie back into his shorts before running upstairs. Once he was gone, Tyler got up from behind the couch and walked over to join you in the kitchen. He stood behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist, resting his head on your shoulder.

“These kids are relentless. They’ve been chasing me around the house for an hour.”

“That explains why you’re so red in the face,” you smiled, patting his arm.

“Hey, I’m not as young as I used to be!”

“I know.” You turned and kissed his cheek. “Now why don’t you help me unpack these groceries before another one of the kids comes looking for you?”

Together, you and Tyler began to unpack the groceries. Upstairs, you could hear your kids running around and opening various doors, still on the hunt for Tyler.

You and Tyler were on the last bag of groceries when your daughter ran down the stairs. Her eyes landed on Tyler and went wide.

“He’s down here with Mom!” she yelled to her brothers. “Freeze!”

Tyler lunged for his nerf gun and aimed it at your daughter, “I’m not going down without a fight!”

Your two other sons appeared on the stairs, their nerf guns pointed at Tyler as well. You didn’t envy the position he was in, your kids could be ruthless when it came to nerf gun wars.

“Surrender now or face the wrath of the Joseph children!” your oldest son announced.

Tyler looked over at you. You raised your eyebrows and shrugged, there wasn’t much he could do to help himself in this situation.

“So what’s your choice, Dad?” your daughter asked.

With a sigh, Tyler set his nerf gun down on the couch and raised his hands up, “I surrender.”

The kids began to cheer, giving each other high fives. Tyler walked over and gave each of the kids a hug, congratulating them on capturing him.

“I’m hungry,” your youngest son said, walking over and looking up at you.

“Did the war make you hungry?” you smiled, ruffling his hair a little bit.

He smiled and nodded proudly.

“Alright, I’ll make you three some mac and cheese for lunch. How does that sound?”

All the kids cheered, which you took as a yes. They all ran off once again, leaving just you and Tyler.

“How did we end up with such amazing kids?” Tyler smiled, leaning up against the counter.

“Because they have an amazing dad,” you answered, giving him a quick kiss.

“Are you kidding? You’re the superhero around here.”

“Hardly,” you scoffed.

Tyler shook his head, deciding that trying to argue against you was useless, even if he knew he was right.

“Just wait until we have four of them running around,” Tyler laughed.

“Don’t remind me,” you sighed, resting your hand on your stomach. Your bump was just barely starting to show. “Would you mind cutting up some fruit and veggies for the kids? My back is killing me and I’d like to sit down and rest for a little bit.”

“Of course,” Tyler answered, already looking through the fridge.

You walked over and took a seat on the couch. Your back immediately began to feel better. Of course, your relaxation didn’t last long as your daughter came running up to you.

“Mom! Mom!”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Can we practice reading?”

“Of course, why don’t you go find a book?”

“Ok!” she squealed before running over to the bookshelf. She looked through all of the books carefully, making sure to pick a good one.

She climbed up onto the couch and curled up next to you, book in hand.

“Are you ready?” she asked, looking up at you.

You nodded. She examined the title of the book for a moment before starting to read, occasionally stumbling over the words. You sat patiently, helping her whenever necessary. It took awhile, but you eventually made it through the entire book.

“I did it!” your daughter smiled proudly.

“Yes you did!” you said, pulling her into a half hug.

“Lunch!” Tyler called.

You had completely forgotten about the mac and cheese while you were helping your daughter read, but Tyler, being the wonderful husband that he was, had taken over to make sure it got ready. He even went so far as to set everything out on the table for the kids.

Your daughter walked over and took her spot at the table. The boys came running down the stairs shortly after, and your oldest even went so far as to jump over the last two steps. You could have sworn you could see the slightest hint of a smile on Tyler’s face as he did so.

“Y/N, aren’t you going to come eat your lunch with the family?” Tyler asked.

You turned to face the table, your eyebrows furrowed. Sure enough, a sandwich and a glass of water were set out at your spot at the table. You couldn’t help but smile at Tyler’s sweet gesture.

“Thank you so much,” you said to Tyler as you took your spot at the table.

“It’s the least I could do after you went grocery shopping and covered for me earlier,” he smiled.

“So you  _did_  know where he was!” your oldest exclaimed, pointing his mac and cheese covered fork at you.

“I’ll admit, I may have lied about knowing your dad’s whereabouts.” You held your hands up in defeat.

“Traitor!” your youngest chimed in.

“Are you calling your mom who so nicely made you lunch a traitor?” Tyler asked.

Your son narrowed his eyes for a moment, as if thinking about his next words very carefully, “Fine, you can get away with it this time.”

“But we’re watching you,” your daughter added ominously.

The kids continued to eat their mac and cheese, looking as if they were plotting some evil plan. Tyler shared a look with you; you two were going to have to watch your backs from now on.


	5. Crowded Rooms

_It all comes down to who you look for in a crowded room._ **  
**

You had never been a huge fan of parties, the only real reason that you had gone to them was to support Tyler. The two of you always remained by one another’s side, providing support through a slight graze of your hands or even the slightest bit of contact between shoulders. He had made them manageable, even fun at times.

But he was gone now.

Josh had practically had to drag you out of bed, claiming that this was one social event you couldn’t miss. He had helped you pick out which dress to wear, you decided on a black one that had been one of Tyler’s favorites, and sat with you while you did your makeup. He filled the air with stories and jokes so that you didn’t have to talk, one thing that you were thankful for. There would be plenty of time to force meaningless words out of your mouth later that night.

By 6:30, the bags under your eyes were covered and your red lipstick proved to be enough to distract anyone who looked at you from the redness of your eyes. Josh linked your arm with his own and led you out the front door of the house to the car. With trembling hands, you opened the door and climbed in the passenger seat, taking care not to shut your dress in the car door. Josh climbed in and immediately turned on the radio. Happy music carried through the speakers, but you opted for looking out the window rather than trying to sing along. Your throat was too raw to sound much good anyway.

Your grip on Josh’s arm grew tighter with each step you took towards the building. Your legs wobbled in your heels, you were out of practice, so you tried to keep your focus on staying upright rather than the fears and insecurities swirling in your head. You could hear the music blasting inside already, and you wanted nothing more to turn around and go straight back home. But you couldn’t, you had to do this for Tyler.

All eyes were on you and Josh as you entered the room. You were hoping nobody would really notice, but how couldn’t they with Tyler’s wife and best friend entering the room? Not to mention that Josh’s bright yellow hair helped to draw attention. You gripped Josh’s arm tighter, causing him to reach over with his other hand and pat yours.

“Sorry,” you whispered, loosening your death grip.

“It’s ok. Here, why don’t we go talk to Mark?”

You nodded and swallowed the lump in your throat. Josh led you over to the small group of people while you stared at the ground, you couldn’t stand the sympathetic stares and small smiles. Josh knew that, too, so he was happy to have you wrapped around his arm as he walked.

“Y?N! Josh!” Mark smiled as you drew closer.

“Hey,” Josh answered.

You managed to look up and force a tight smile. Josh took over the conversation while you stood by quietly and listened. You eventually let go of his arm, your legs had finally stopped shaking enough to allow you to stand steadily on your own. Josh glanced over when you did so, but managed to keep the conversation going. You commented on something occasionally, but nobody expected you to talk much. Every so often, you caught yourself glancing around the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of Tyler in the crowd.

Eventually you excused yourself from the conversation to find a bathroom. Despite your lack of communication with everyone, just being in the presence of people was exhausting. You walked down the hallway, looking for any door marked as a bathroom.

As you were walking, you stumbled across what appeared to be an empty conference room. The door was only slightly open, and there was nobody around. After taking a quick glance around to make sure nobody was watching, you slipped into the room and closed the door behind you.

The quiet of the empty room was welcoming, and the click of your heels on the wood floor proved to be comforting as well. After walking around a bit and listening to the sound of your heels, you took a seat on the edge of the table. For the first time in a few weeks, you felt some form of happiness.

It didn’t last long, though. Before you knew it, you had pulled your phone out and were looking through old pictures and videos of you and Tyler. It was only a month ago, but it felt like a lifetime. Memories from that night flooded back and you were trying, and failing, to keep the tears from running down your face and ruining your makeup.

You were sitting on the couch, taking advantage of the quietness of Tyler being out of the house to read for a bit. You didn’t mind his near constant singing and instrument playing, but it was nice to have a bit of quiet every now and then.

_Your phone rang. You didn’t recognize the number, but you figured it could be Tyler calling from the studio. He was prone to letting his phone die, so you quickly bookmarked your page and picked up the phone._

_“Hello?”_

_“Is this Y/N Joseph?”_

_You didn’t recognize the voice._

_“Yes, this is she.”_

_“Are you married to Tyler Joseph?”_

_“I am.”_

_There was a sigh on the other side of the line, “This is the Y/C/N City Police. We regret to inform you that he was involved in a car crash. He is currently being taken to the hospital to have his condition assessed.”_

_Your stomach clenched. You immediately got up and started to pull your shoes on._

_“I’ll be over there right away. Thank you for letting me know.”_

_“Of course.”_

_“Bye.”_

_“Goodbye.”_

_You grabbed your keys and rushed out the door. Without a second thought, you dialed Josh. He didn’t answer, probably driving home from the studio himself, so you left him a voicemail saying you needed to talk to him as soon as possible._

_The emergency room was bustling with people. You rushed up to the front desk, already pulling your ID out of your wallet._

_“How can I help you?” the receptionist asked._

_“My name is Y/N Joseph. My husband, Tyler, was involved in a car accident.”_

_“Can I see your ID?”_

_You slid your license across the table. She double checked it before sliding it back across to you and quickly typing something into the computer._

_“It appears he’s still being assessed. Would you like me to send a nurse to come get you when that’s finished?”_

_“Yes, please. Thank you.”_

_“No problem. Why don’t you go over and take a seat?”_

_You nodded and walked over to a chair. Your heart was pounding in your chest and you bounced your leg to help deal with the nervous energy. Not long after you sat down, your phone rang. It was Josh._

_You picked up the phone before quickly stepping outside, “Hello?”_

_“Y/N, hey. It’s Josh. You said you needed to talk to me as soon as possible. I just got home from the studio.”_

_“Josh, it-it’s Tyler. He was in a car accident, a bad one. They had to take him to the ER. We’re at the hospital.”_

_“I’ll be there in ten.”_

_“Ok, drive safe.”_

_You walked back inside and took a seat. People walked back and forth, talking on their phones or walking with family members. You twisted your wedding ring around your finger, a nervous habit._

_Josh walked in ten minutes later, looking frantic. He scanned the room for a second before his eyes landed on you. Before you knew it, he was taking a seat next to you._

_“So what have they told you?” he asked._

_“He was in a car crash, they took him here, and they’re assessing him right now. They’re sending a nurse to get me once they figure everything out.”_

_Josh nodded._

_“Did they talk about any details of the crash?”_

_“Not to me.”_

_“Ok.”_

_There was a slight pause in the conversation._

_“Was he ok when he left the studio?”_

_“Yeah, he was fine. We had a really good session and he wouldn’t stop talking about how happy he was to get home and see you.”_

_“Mrs. Joseph?”_

_Your head flicked up to find the source of the noise._

_“Hi,” the nurse smiled. “So it turns out that Tyler had some serious internal bleeding and he had to be rushed into surgery. The doctors aren’t sure how long it’s going to take, and it’s a very high possibility that he won’t make it.”_

_“Uh-I-ok,” you muttered, unsure how to process that information._

_“We recommend that you go home and rest. If you leave your phone number with the front desk, we can call you towards the end of the surgery.”_

_You nodded. The nurse gave you a small smile before walking away._

_Josh followed you as you walked up to the front desk. The receptionist smiled at you as you explained to her what was going on. She typed quickly as you recited your phone number, and then Josh’s as a backup. Once she gave us the all clear, you and Josh headed outside._

_“Do you want me to come over and wait with you?”_

_“Yes, please.”_

_Josh nodded, “I’ll see you in fifteen.”_

_You walked back to your car and slid into the front seat. The drive home was long and quiet._

_Josh wasn’t at the house yet when you pulled into the driveway. You left the front door unlocked behind you, something you and Tyler rarely did, and took a seat back on the couch. Yout book was still sitting on the coffee table, but you no longer had any interest in reading it at the moment._

_Josh walked in a few minutes later and kicked his shoes off by the door._

_“Got stuck at that long red light. I swear I sat there for like ten minutes.”_

_“I just got home a few minutes ago, you weren’t that far behind me.”_

_“Ok.”_

_He walked over and took a seat on the couch with you. You talked for awhile before deciding on a  movie to watch, but you ended up falling asleep halfway through. The emotional distress of the day was getting to you._

_Around eleven that night, your cell phone rang. You quickly picked it up._

_“Hello?”_

_“Hi, is this Y/N Joseph?” you recognized the receptionist’s voice._

_“This is she.”_

_“The surgery is finished.”_

_“Ok, we’ll be there soon.”_

_You woke Josh up and quickly pulled your shoes on before heading out to the car. Josh decided you should drive since you knew the way to the hospital better and you were more awake than he was._

_The emergency room was less packed now, but a few family members were still sitting in chairs, leaned on one another for support as they slept. Once again, you found yourself walking up to the front desk. No introductions were needed this time._

_“I’ll let the doctor know you’re here,” she smiled._

_You and Josh took a seat once again and waited for the doctor to come out. He appeared a few moments later, a grim look on his face. You and Josh stood up._

_“You must be Y/N, Tyler’s wife,” he looked at me._

_“That’s me,” I sighed._

_“My name is Doctor Herendahl,” he shook my hand._

_“And you are?” he turned to Josh._

_“Josh Dun, Tyler’s best friend.”_

_He shook Josh’s hand too before looking down at his clipboard. He breathed in and let it out slowly._

_“Tyler Joseph,” he said quietly. “We had to take him in and perform surgery on his brain to deal with some internal bleeding. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it.”_

_You felt your stomach drop and your legs could no longer support you. Josh managed to wrap an arm around your middle and help you down into a chair. You sat there for a few minutes, taking everything in._

_“You can see him, if you’d like.”_

_“Please,” you muttered, your voice shaking._

_Josh helped you stand back up. You clung to his arm as you walked down the white hallway, passing rooms of other patients who were being treated for critical conditions._

_Doctor Herendahl gestured to a room on the left. With shaking legs, you walked into the room. Your breath caught in your throat upon seeing him._

_You weren’t sure what you had expected to see when you walked into the room. Maybe something similar to when he fell asleep on the couch and his hair was a mess and his cheeks were smushed up, but this was nothing like that. Parts of his hair had been shaved and a long set of stitches ran across the back of his head. His face was covered in cuts and bruises and parts of it were swollen. He was hardly recognizable._

_You walked over to the side of the bed and grabbed his hand. It was cold, but the shape of his fingers was familiar. Josh walked over and put a hand on your back. You were surprised that you hadn’t cried yet, but shock can do weird things to a person. There would be plenty of time for crying later._

_“He never got to see me again,” you mumbled, just loud enough for Josh to hear._

_Josh rubbed your back. You stayed there for awhile longer until Josh finally pulled you away, telling you that you couldn’t stay in that room forever. He drove you home, but you told him that he should stay in the guest room. It wasn’t good for either of you to be alone right now._

_You woke up early the next morning, somehow managing to pull yourself out of bed. You didn’t bother to change out of your pajamas, you just headed downstairs and made yourself some tea. The quiet of the house that you had once loved now felt heavy and unwelcome, but you knew it was a sound you would have to get used to._

“Y/N?”

You looked up from your phone and quickly wiped away the tears. Josh had opened the door and stuck his head in.

“Hey, Josh,” you croaked.

“What are you doing in here?”

“I just wanted to be alone for awhile.”

“Are you-crying?” he asked as he walked closer.

You nodded, his question sent a fresh wave of tears down your face.

“Don’t do that,” he said, walking over and standing across from you.

He very gently reached up and wiped away the tears.

“I just miss him so much, Josh. He was my everything.”

“I know, I miss him too. But you know he would want us to keep living, right?”

“Yeah, I know. I just wish I got some closure with him. The last thing I told him was that I loved him and I would be waiting for him to get home, but, it just doesn’t feel right.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I told him to drive safe.”

“I mean he did, right? It was the other car that T-boned him after running a red light.”

“Yeah. There’s just so much I wish I had told him.”

“I know how you feel.”

“Alright, why don’t we go back out there and talk to some people, ok?”

“Ok.”

You stood up and smoothed out your dress.

“How does my makeup look?”

Josh squinted at you for a second before wiping under your eyes a little.

“There, all better,” he smiled proudly.

“Thanks,” you laughed, once again wrapping yourself around his arm.

Together, you walked out of the room, ready to face the world.


	6. Honeymoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe you could do one we’re the reader and Tyler or josh just got married and they’re on Thierry honeymoon or something and stuff like that… maybe… idk

Sunlight was shining through the window when you blinked your eyes open. Tyler was wrapped tightly around you, his head buried in the crook of your neck. He always looked so peaceful when he was sleeping, you hated to wake him up. **  
**

“Ty,” you called softly, running a hand through his soft hair.

“What?” he mumbled into your neck. You could feel the heat of his breath.

“It’s time to get up.”

He sighed and tightened his grip around you, pulling you closer to him.

“Five more minutes?”

“Fine, but then we’re getting up because we have a lot to do today.”

“Ok,” he smiled happily.

You started to trace the outlines of Tyler’s tattoos. He hummed happily as you did so.

Five minutes later, you were practically dragging Tyler out of bed. It took some convincing, but he eventually gave in and slid out from under the covers. You watched as he walked across the room, light shining across his bare chest and illuminating his tattoos. He turned to look at you, and you quickly looked away.

“We’re married, you know. You don’t have to pretend like you weren’t looking,” he smiled.

Your cheeks flushed from embarrassment, “What can I say? You still make me nervous.”

He walked over to where you were standing in front of the mirror and wrapped his arms around you, resting his head on your shoulder.

“You might want to work on that, because you’re stuck with me forever now,” he smiled, planting a kiss on your cheek before walking over to grab clothes from his suitcase.

“I would hardly call it being stuck with you,” you answered, fixing a loose strand of hair. “Now can you hurry up and get dressed?”

 

Water lapped at your feet as you and Tyler walked along the coastline. His fingers were intertwined with yours, and you were absentmindedly swinging your hand back and forth as you looked out over the ocean.

“Isn’t it beautiful out here?” you asked, turning to face Tyler.

“It is, but I’m focused on something more beautiful right now,” he smiled.

You gave him a light shove as color rose to your cheeks.

“You know, you don’t have to say that every time I point out how beautiful something is, Ty.”

“I know, but I have yet to see anything more beautiful than you.”

You shook your head and turned back to look out over the ocean.

“Do you want to sit for awhile?” Tyler asked.

“Sure.”

Tyler led you over to a dry spot in the sand, safe from the incoming waves. You took a seat on the sand, trying your best not to get it in your clothes. Tyler sat down next to you and wrapped an arm around your waist.

“You know, if someone told me when I was younger that I was going to be as happy as I am right now, I would have thought they were lying,” Tyler said.

“Me too. I didn’t think I was ever going to find someone who loved me.”

“Well, I love you more than anything else in the world.”

“I love you too, Ty.”

You leaned over and rested your head on his shoulder. He reached over and grabbed one of your hands, absentmindedly tracing patterns and shapes on the back of it. The two of you sat quietly for awhile, simply enjoying each other’s company and the sound of the ocean in front of you.

Eventually, Tyler decided that he wanted to head out and get some lunch. He helped you up off the sand and made sure you didn’t have any sand on the back of your clothes. Once again, you two continued hand-in-hand down the beach towards the main part of town.

As you were walking, you suddenly stepped on something sharp. Your foot immediately shot up as a reflex, scaring Tyler a bit. You grabbed onto your now throbbing foot, using Tyler to keep your balance.

“Are you alright, love?” Tyler asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

“I stepped on something sharp,” you winced. “Can you look at my foot and see if it’s bleeding?”

Tyler helped you to turn so that he could better see your foot.

“No blood,” he announced. “Just red.”

“Ok,” you sighed, slowly lowering your foot to the ground.

You started to walk, but the hot sand made your already sensitive foot hurt even worse. Tyler noticed you limping, and his face immediately fell.

“Here, get on my back,” he said, lowering so that you could more easily climb onto his back.

“I’m not going to make you carry me,” you said, waving an arm at him.

“Y/N, you can barely walk on your foot. It’s not a big deal, now come on.”

You shook your head, but got on his back nonetheless. There wasn’t a point in fighting with him, you would end up giving in. He took a second to get you adjusted on his back before continuing to carry you along the beach.

There wasn’t much you could do with a hurt foot, so Tyler ended up taking you back to your hotel room before going out again to pick up some food for the both of you. While he did that, you laid in bed with ice on your foot to help some of the swelling.

“I’m back,” Tyler said, bumping the door closed with his hip.

He was carrying two large bags full of some of the most delicious smelling food. You watched happily as he laid everything out on the counter.

“What would you like?” he smiled from behind the stacks of food he had returned with.

Tyler piled portions of food on your plate as you listed off all of the things you wanted. He also made himself a plate before joining you in bed.

“Now what?” you asked, a plate full of food balanced precariously on your lap.

“Why don’t we rent that movie you’ve been wanting to see?” Tyler asked.

“Yes, please!” you smiled.

After a few minutes of figuring out how to work the TV, you and Tyler were snuggled up in bed watching a movie and eating your dinner.

“I’m sorry that I ruined the rest of the day by hurting my foot,” you said, turning to look at Tyler.

“You didn’t ruin anything. The only thing that matters is that I get to spend time with you.”

“I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”


	7. Valentine's Day

You regretted not calling in sick the second that you clocked in. It was a matter of minutes before you were faced with the first smiling couple walking into the restaurant arm in arm. **  
**

“Good afternoon,” Tyler, your coworker and close friend, smiled at you.

You forced a smile as you tied your apron around your waist. His eyebrows immediately furrowed in confusion at your less-than-friendly disposition.

“It’s Valentine’s Day and we’re working at one of the nicest restaurants in this part of town. I’m not looking forward to serving lovesick couples all day,” you explained.

He shrugged, “I think it’s kind of nice to see people this happy. It gives me hope.”

You shook your head, you should have known he would find a way to put a positive spin on all this.

 

You were two hours into your shift and already about to scream. The only break you had had from the couples was one family who brought in their kids, but that had only ended with the youngest screaming and dumping apple juice all down the table. You had nearly burst into tears at that one, but Tyler had helped to calm you down.

“I just don’t understand why people have to make such a big deal out of this holiday,” you grumbled as you arranged plates onto your tray. “Why can’t we just love someone every day of the year?”

“You can,” Tyler said. “It’s just nice to have one day where you can make them feel extra special.”

“That’s what birthdays and anniversaries are for.”

Tyler looked over to you as he was filling up a drink, “Y/N, why are you hating on love?”

“I’m not hating on love! I’m hating on the idea that corporations feel the need to monopolize on human desire to participate in so called national holidays.”

“You’re a real character, you know–shit!” Tyler said.

You turned just in time to see the cup that he was filling up overflow and pour over onto his hand, soaking his shirtsleeve in soda. Grumbling, he grabbed some napkins and began to wipe up his mess. You quickly picked up your tray and walked out to your table, not wanting to get caught up in that mess.

 

By four hours into your shift, it was getting harder to put a fake smile on your face as you delivered an array of heart-shaped and brightly decorated foods to patrons. Tyler was still on your case about hating love, and you two would debate the matter at any opportunity you were given.

“So are you telling me that if someone said they wanted to take you out for Valentine’s day, you would just reject them because you don’t want to help the corporations make profit?” Tyler asked.

“Exactly.”

“So if your celebrity crush burst through the doors right now and confessed their love for you, you would just say no immediately?”

“Well, that’s a different case…”

“But you would help the corporations!”

“I would politely ask if we could postpone a day.”

“This is a one-day offer.”

“Let me think about it,” you grumbled.

 

During the sixth hour of your shift, you were beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Your lively debate with Tyler was helping to keep your mood light, and thinking of arguments you could make against him helped to distract you from just how enamored with each other all the couples in the restaurant were.

“Relationship or not, the discount candy the day after is  _easily_  the best part of Valentine’s Day,” you said.

Tyler shook his head, “You have interesting priorities, Y/N.”

“Look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t go to the nearest grocery store and load up on a month’s worth of discount chocolate on February 15th.”

Tyler turned and looked you straight in the eyes, “You’re wrong. I load up on two months worth of candy.”

“Ha!” you said, pointing a finger at him.

“But that’s not the argument I’m making! Yes, the discount candy is good, but it isn’t the best part.”

“Cheap candy is the only worthwhile part of the holiday.”

“It’s about being around the ones you love.”

“Is it, Ty? Because look where you and I are right now,” you said before walking off to deliver food to your table.

 

You almost started crying tears of joy as you clocked out. Tyler waited as you gathered up your bag, and together you two walked out of the restaurant.

“So how are you going to spend the rest of this awful holiday?” Tyler asked.

“Probably go home, eat some ice cream, watch Netflix, and cry about how lonely I am,” you answered sarcastically.

“By celebrating your loneliness, aren’t you playing into what the corporations want in your own twisted way?”

You stopped dead in your tracks and turned to face Tyler, “How could you say that to me? Now I have to find totally new plans.”

“What if I took you out on a date?” Tyler asked, surprisingly casual.

Your heart immediately started racing, “Are you being serious right now? Because if you aren’t, that’s a cruel joke.”

Tyler smiled, “I’m being 100% serious with you. I was going to ask you earlier today, but hearing you argue about how terrible of a holiday this is was way funnier.”

You brought a hand up to your mouth, “Now I feel awful.”

“Don’t,” he laughed. “Our eight hour argument was the only thing that made working bearable today.”

You ran a hand through your hair, “Are you sure?”

“Yes, now why don’t we go feed into this awful holiday and get a nice dinner?”

“Just as long as we save enough money to get two months worth of discounted candy tomorrow.”

“Now that’s an argument I can get behind.”


	8. Distractions

You were sitting at the kitchen table, typing out an article for work that you had put off for way too long. The house was quiet, and you were taking advantage of this rare occasion to actually be productive. As if on queue, the front door swung open, revealing your soaking wet boyfriend, Tyler.

“Honey, I’m home,” he smiled, walking over and taking a seat in the chair next to you.

“Hey, Ty. Listen, I really need you to give me some space right now, I have this really important article to finish.”

Tyler’s face fell a bit, and he immediately pulled out his puppy dog eyes. You closed your eyes and sighed before turning to him.

“It’s not like I want to ignore you, but I’ve been putting this off for weeks and it really needs to get done.”

Tyler sighed dramatically before sliding out of his chair, “Fine, I’ll go take a shower then.”

“You do that, love.”

You quickly got yourself back in the zone to write your article. Every sentence you wrote didn’t sound right, and with each passing minute you were getting more and more frustrated. Of course, you were soon faced with more prevalent problems.

Upstairs, Tyler was practically screaming song lyrics over the sound of the running water. You sighed and buried your face in your palms, you should have known that he wasn’t about to give up that easily. Grumbling to yourself, you got up and grabbed your soundproof headphones from the other room, hoping they would help to drown out the noise.

Twenty minutes later, Tyler arrived downstairs with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was dripping water down onto his chest, and it was difficult to keep your gaze focused on the computer in front of you. You knew that he was aware of the effect he was having on you, because he was currently parading himself around the living room and flexing whenever he possible could.

“Wow, this box sure is heavy,” he said, lifting up a package that had been delivered to your house earlier that morning.

As much as you wanted to look, you kept your gaze hyper focused on the computer. The more you fed into his act, the longer he would continue to try and distract you. You did manage to sneak a glance at him at of the corner of your eye, only to see that he was staring at you intently.

“I saw that!” he cheered. “You looked at me.”

You did your best to mask the smile on your face.

“Wow, this towel is awfully loose,” he said, shrugging the towel slightly lower on his hips.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” you warned.

“What? Is it too distracting?” he asked, starting to unwrap the towel entirely.

“The neighbors are outside.”

Tyler quickly snatched up his cascading towel and wrapped it tightly around his waist once again. You couldn’t help but smile.

“Well, I’m going to go upstairs and get dressed,” he huffed before disappearing up the stairs once again.

You managed to sneak another glance at his now bright red face. Wet footprints were shining on the floor from where he had been walking around.

Tyler returned downstairs hardly five minutes later, now fully dressed and no longer dripping water all over the floor. You tried to focus on writing, but your mind kept running through all the possible things that Tyler would do to distract you.

As if he could read your mind, Tyler walked over and planted himself in a chair next to you.

“Y/N,” he said quietly.

You ignored him.

“Y/N.”

Still nothing.

“Y/N!” he said, poking you in the arm. “Y/N. Y/N. Y/N.”

You pulled off your headphones and turned to him, now thoroughly annoyed.

“This better be important because this article is stressing me out beyond belief and the more you keep distracting me, the longer it’s going to take and the more stressed I’m going to get.”

Tyler’s finger remained hovering in the air near your arm, his mouth hanging half open.

“I-i just wanted to tell you that I love you.”

“I love you too, but you’re being a real pain in the ass right now.”

Tyler pouted a bit but got up and walked off. You focused your attention back on the article; there were only a few paragraphs left for you to write.

You sighed as Tyler once again walked into the living room and planted himself at the piano. He cracked his knuckles before resting his fingers delicately on the keys, causing you to tense up in anticipation for the insane amount of noise that he was about to start making. Much to your surprise, he began to play a slow song. Maintaining your focus was hard enough already, but when he started to sing you finally gave in and allowed yourself to be distracted by his voice. Hearing him sing always calmed your nerves.

Once the song was finished, he spun around to face you, “I’m sorry for unnecessarily stressing you out. I hope that helped.”

“It did,” you smiled, standing up and walking over to pull him into a hug.

He squeezed you tightly.

“I promise I’m almost done, then I’ll give you all the attention you deserve,” you added.

“Sounds like a plan,” he said, releasing you from his grip.

You walked over and took a seat in front of your laptop once again. Meanwhile Tyler walked off, most likely already planning how to distract you next time.


	9. Nightmare

“Y/N,” someone whispered.

You slowly woke up from the dream you had been having, but kept your eyes closed.

“What?” you grumbled.

“Babe, please wake up,” you recognized Tyler’s voice more clearly now, and by the sound of it something was going on.

“I’m up,” you said, opening your eyes and turning to face him.

He was propped up on one elbow. Beads of sweat were pooled on his forehead, and his chest was rising and falling rapidly.

“Love, what’s going on?” you asked, eyebrows furrowed.

“Nightmare,” he stammered. “I’m scared of going back to bed.”

“Come here.” You held your arms out for him.

He wrapped his arms tightly around you and rested his head on your chest. You ran a hand through his hair, something you knew always helped to calm him down.

“It’s ok, you’re safe now. Nothing is going to hurt you, I won’t let it. I’m safe. You’re safe. There’s no need to worry,” you reassured him.

You leaned back against the headboard. Your eyelids were still heavy and it was hard to stay awake, but you knew you had to for Tyler.

“Y/N?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you still love me?”

“Of course I do, Ty. More than anything in the world.”

“Ok.”

He was quiet for a few minutes before speaking again.

“I had a dream that you were cheating on me. It felt so real, I could feel the pain in my chest and everything.”

You stopped brushing through his hair for a moment, so in shock from what you were hearing.

“Ty, can you look at me?”

He adjusted so that he could look at you without craning his neck.

“I would never, ever cheat on you. I can’t imagine ever hurting you like that, I love you so much. If I lost you, I would be devastated.”

“Really?” he asked.

“Really. You mean more to me than anyone else.”

A small half smile formed on his face.

“Ok, I’m sorry for waking you up.”

“Don’t apologize, I want to be here for you.”

Tyler settled back down on his side of the bed. You started to get back into a comfortable sleeping position.

“Y/N?” Tyler asked, resting a hand on your arm.

“Yes, love?”

“Will you snuggle with me?”

“Of course.”

You scooted over and made yourself comfortable on Tyler’s chest. He wrapped his arms around you.

“Wake me up if you have any more nightmares, ok?”

“Ok.”

“Goodnight, love.”

“Goodnight.”


	10. Late Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the night mentioned in the fic Refrigerator Lights!

You rolled onto your stomach for what seemed like the millionth time. After a few seconds of having your eyes closed, they immediately flicked open again. With a sigh, you turned and looked at the alarm clock in your room. It was now two in the morning.

It didn’t take you long to determine that sleep was not something that was happening soon for you, so you quietly slid out of bed and walked out into the hallway. The bedroom door creaked a bit as you closed it, but from what you could tell, it hadn’t woken Tyler up.

Shadows danced across the floor as you tiptoed through the living room. You didn’t dare turn on the lights, you were too afraid of waking yourself up too much so that you really wouldn’t be able to sleep. Instead, you decided to face your minor fear of the dark and creep around in the shadows instead.

You hesitated once you got to the kitchen. The kitchen counter was spotless, and you would be lying if you said you hadn’t thought about crawling up on it and laying out spread eagle more than once. Every time you brought it up to Tyler, he always raised an eyebrow and looked at you in questioning. After a short debate with yourself, you got up on the counter and spread yourself out, staring at the ceiling. After all, you really had nothing better to do at the moment.

You weren’t sure how long you had been laying on the counter when you heard movement upstairs. Figuring it was Tyler getting up to get a drink of water or something, you didn’t think much of it and returned to laying on the kitchen counter. It wasn’t until he came half-jogging down the stairs that you realized that this may be a bit more serious.

“Y/N?” he called softly as he reached the bottom of the staircase.

“Ty?” you answered, sitting up.

His eyes landed on you and he jumped back a bit, “Geez, Y/N, you scared me.”

“Sorry,” you said, sliding off the counter and walking closer to him.

“What are you doing on the counter anyway?”

“I can’t sleep, so I came down here.”

He nodded, “I woke up from a nightmare and you weren’t in bed and it scared me, so I came looking for you.”

“You had a nightmare?” you asked.

He nodded.

“Why don’t we go sit?” you asked, grabbing his hand and leading him towards the couch.

The two of you took a seat next to each other. You grabbed a blanket from nearby and wrapped the two of you up in it. Tyler leaned into you, resting his head on your shoulder. You reached up and began to run your hands through his hair to calm him down. It didn’t take long for him to stop shaking and his breathing to return to normal.

“Would it be a bad idea to make a quesadilla right now?” you asked.

Tyler turned around so that he could look at you, “I think that sounds like a fantastic idea.”

You were smiling widely as you got off the couch and walked back into the kitchen. Tyler followed close behind you, wrapped tightly in the blanket still. He walked over and took a seat on one of the stools while you moved around the kitchen, grabbing all the supplies you would need.

“It’s too quiet in here,” Tyler said as you began to heat up the stove. “I’m used to hearing cars drive past every few minutes and kids playing in their backyards.”

“You should turn on some music, Ty.”

“On it.”

You started to prepare the food while Tyler walked off to find the speaker. It proved to be a bit difficult in the dim moonlight, but you still refused to turn the lights on. Tyler returned a few moments later, a speaker tucked carefully under his arm. He set it on the counter and began to fiddle with his phone. After a minute or so, music was carrying through the speaker. It was from one of the playlists that you and Tyler had carefully curated.

Tyler walked up behind you as you were cooking the first quesadilla. He put his hands on your hips and began to sway you back and forth to the rhythm of the music while singing in your ear.

“Come on, Y/N. You know you want to sing,” he smiled.

You rolled your eyes, but you were quick to turn around and sing dramatically into the spatula you were using. Tyler smiled widely and the two of you continued to dance around the kitchen and singing along to the music, only taking brief breaks when your food needed to be tended to. Eventually, your food was done cooking and you had to put an end to the dance party.

“Want to eat on the deck?” you asked as you finished cleaning out the pan.

“Sure,” Tyler shrugged, grabbing his plate of food.

The two of you walked outside and took a seat in the patio chairs. It was quiet outside, save for the distant sound of cars on the freeway. You sat quietly, enjoying each other’s company and the cool night breeze.

“I think I’m finally getting tired,” you said as you finished your last piece of quesadilla.

“I’ve been tired,” Tyler laughed. “But I didn’t want you to stay up alone and a quesadilla was too good of an offer to pass up.”

“You could have gone to bed, you dork,” you smiled as you carried your plate back inside.

You quickly did the dishes before walking back upstairs and climbing into bed. After your crazy antics, you were now significantly more tired than you had been just an hour ago. Your eyelids were growing heavy and going to bed sounded nice.

“Goodnight, Y/N. I love you.”

“I love you too, Ty. Thanks for staying up with me.”

“Thanks for calming me down.”

“Anytime.”

Tyler shifted a bit as he made himself comfortable. You rolled onto your side and smiled to yourself. There was no longer any doubt in your mind, this was the man you wanted to marry.


	11. Loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Could you do a sad one where the reader and Tyler are married and she gets pregnant but has a miscarriage or still birth?? sorry if this is to sad, love your fics!!!!!!

You bit down on the inside of your cheek as you reached for your phone to check the timer. There were only thirty seconds left, and you watched impatiently as they slowly counted down. In a matter of moments, you would know if your life was changed forever. **  
**

The timer went off when you were on the other side of the bathroom, and you lunged for it so fast that you lost your footing and had to catch yourself on the edge of the counter. You paused for a moment, your hand resting on the tile counter edge, as you listened to see if Tyler had noticed your stumble. There was no sound from downstairs, so you pushed yourself up to a standing position.

You could feel your heart pounding in your chest as you reached for the little stick sitting on the counter. Doubt began to run itself through your mind as your fingers wrapped around it. Had you done the test wrong? Was it too early? What if it was faulty? You tried to shake the thoughts from your mind and took a deep breath. Slowly, you flipped it over so that you could see the results.

Never before could you have imagined that a plus sign could make your heart stop. You brought a hand to your mouth to muffle the incomprehensible squeaking sounds that were coming from your mouth as you jumped around the bathroom. The next thing on your mind was finding Tyler, so you went running out of the bedroom towards the stairs. You were only half paying attention, looking up just in time to stop yourself from running straight into him at the top of the stairs. He quickly grabbed onto the railing to keep from falling backwards, and you began to apologize profusely.

“Y/N, what’s going on with you? I could hear your stomping around up here from the office.”

You wordlessly passed him the pregnancy test, not sure that you would be able to find the right words in your current state. His eyes went wide as he put two and two together. When he looked up at you, his face was a mixture of awe and excitement.

“So this means-we’re gonna-we’re gonna have-”

You were nodding vigorously before he even had a chance to spit out the rest of his sentence. He launched himself towards you and kissed you deeply, holding you so close to him that it was hard to breathe. When he finally pulled away from you, he pressed his forehead to yours and looked into your eyes.

“We’re going to have a baby,” he said breathlessly, still in disbelief.

“I know,” you whispered, your eyes already watering.

He suddenly pulled away from you and went jogging down the stairs.

“There’s so much to do! We need to start picking out names, get you an appointment, look at Amazon reviews of every baby product ever made.” He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked up at you. “What are you waiting for, Y/N? We have work to do!”

Tyler went running off again and you couldn’t help but smile at his newfound excitement. After taking a moment to compose yourself and wipe a few happy tears away, you descended the stairs to figure out just where it was that he had run off to.

                                              _Two Months Later…_

You woke up in the middle of the night to a shooting pain in your back. There had been some mild pain for the past few days, but it hadn’t been as intense as this. You tried adjusting the position you were sleeping in to see if it would help at all, but it only made the pain worse.

“Ty,” you called softly, shoving his arm slightly.

He was awake and sitting up in a matter of seconds. Tyler had always been a light sleeper, a side effect of his anxiety, but your pregnancy had only made him more attentive to you waking him up in the middle of the night.

“What’s going on? Are you ok?” he asked, worry already evident in his voice.

“My back,” you croaked out. “The pain got worse.”

“Babe,” he cooed, holding his arms out for you.

You winced as you slid closer to him, allowing yourself to become totally encompassed by his arms. Once you were settled, he moved his hand up to your head and began to run his hand through your hair. You buried your face in his chest and tried to mask the tears that were beginning to stream down your face. Anxieties were plaguing your mind, and every attempt you made to stop them were falling short.

“Do you want some pain medication?” he asked.

“No, I don’t want to accidentally hurt the baby,” you sniffled.

“I’ll make an appointment with the OB/GYN tomorrow morning. We’re going to get this figured out, ok?”

“Tyler.”

“Yes, babe?”

“What if-what if the baby isn’t ok?”

Tyler squeezed you tighter than he had been before and pressed a kiss to your temple, “Shh, we don’t know anything for certain. There’s no need to worry right now. Whatever happens, I’m going to be here for you and I’m going to love you unconditionally.”

“I’m scared, Ty.”

“I know, I am too, but there’s nothing we can do right now.”

You balled up the fabric of his shirt in your fist and turned your face further into his chest. Hot tears were now freely falling down your face. Tyler sighed and slowly slid out from under you. You watched as he disappeared into the bathroom and returned a moment later carrying something. It wasn’t until he walked over to the wall and plugged it in that you realized he was carrying a heat pad. He very carefully adjusted it on your back so that it was centered on the pain in your back.

“Thank you,” you said as he got back into bed and made space for you to lay on him again.

“Like I said, I’m going to be here for you through everything.”

“I love you, Ty.”

“I love you too, Y/N.”

Tyler was already awake and out of bed when you woke up the next morning. The heat pad had been readjusted on your back, and the pain had dulled slightly, although it wasn’t totally gone. You took your time getting out of bed and walking over to the closet, switching out your pajama top for one of Tyler’s slightly oversized sweatshirts.

The smell of breakfast being made led you downstairs where Tyler was busily scurrying around the kitchen making various foods. There were some waffles cooking in the waffle maker your cousin had gotten you as a wedding gift, a nice bowl of fruit salad that your doctor mentioned would be good for the baby, and some bacon sizzling on the stove.

“You’re awake,” Tyler smiled upon seeing you. “How is your back feeling?”

You shrugged, “A little better. The pain is still there, but it’s dull.”

“That’s good to hear. I called the OB/GYN this morning, you have an appointment at noon.”

“You’re the sweetest, Ty. Thank you,” you said, walking over to him and planting a kiss on his cheek.

“Why don’t you take a seat on the couch and I’ll bring you some breakfast when it’s ready?”

“Ok.”

You walked over and took a seat on the couch, grabbing the TV remote on the way. The sound of Tyler’s cooking soon became background noise as your attention was drawn by the Netflix show you had chosen to watch that morning.

You arrived at the doctor’s office right at 11:45. Tyler’s hand never left your back as you walked up to the front desk and checked in. Your voice was shaking from nerves, but the receptionist didn’t seem to take notice, or didn’t care if she did. With a smile, she sent you and Tyler to wait while they prepared everything for the ultrasound.

“Do ultrasounds hurt?” Tyler asked as he flipped through a magazine with his free hand. His other one was holding onto yours, rubbing slow circles onto the back of your hand.

You tried to mask your laugh as you turned to him since he had phrased it as a genuine question, “No, Ty. They just feel kind of-weird.”

“Weird how?” he asked, looking up from his magazine.

You shrugged, “I mean, you can imagine what it’s like to have gel rubbed over your stomach and then have a machine run over it, right?”

“I suppose.”

He went back to flipping through his magazine. You sat in your chair, staring at the carpet and trying not to let your thoughts overcome you.

“Hey, Ty?”

“Yeah?”

“If we do have the baby, do you want a boy or a girl?”

Tyler looked lost in thought for a moment, “I guess it doesn’t really matter to me, as long as they get my good looks.”

You gave him a light shove with your free hand, which caused him to smile. Seeing him smile made you temporarily forget your worries, you were so busy admiring the wonderful man in front of you.

“Y/N Joseph.”

The sound of the nurse’s voice drew your attention away from Tyler. You and Tyler stood up and followed the nurse through the doorway and into another hallway. She didn’t say much as the three of you walked, just wordlessly led you to the exam room.

“The ultrasound technician will be with you shortly. Feel free to take a seat,” she smiled before closing the door behind her as she left the room.

You hopped up onto the exam table and made yourself as comfortable as possible. Tyler stood next to you for the moment, still holding tightly to your hand and rubbing circles. Anxiety was once again swelling in the pit of your stomach and your eyes were beginning to water.

“Babe, what’s going on?” Tyler asked, noticing the tears in your eyes.

“I just have a really bad feeling about all this, Ty.”

“Hey, it’s going to be ok,” Tyler reassured you, wiping away an escaped tear with the pad of his thumb. “Even if something did happen to the baby, it’s not the end of the world. We can always try again.”

You nodded and pulled him closer to you so that you could rest your head against his chest. He snaked an arm around you and rubbed a hand up and down your back.

“By the way, if we have a boy, his name is going to be Josh.”

You leaned back suddenly and looked up at him, “When was this decided?”

“A long time ago.”

“We are not naming our child Josh.”

“I know we haven’t told Josh yet, but it’s going to be two to one. You can’t stop it, Y/N.”

“Ty,” you whined.

You were about to continue your argument when the technician walked into the room. Tyler gave your hand one final squeeze before taking a seat in a nearby chair.

“Good afternoon,” the technician smiled. “My name is Doctor Jennings and I’m going to be doing your ultrasound today.”

She walked over and gave you and Tyler a handshake. Her demeanor was pleasant, almost too pleasant for how you were currently feeling.

“So, Y/N, what brings you in today?”

“Well, uh, I’ve been having this back pain lately. Like, right here,” you said, running your hand along the spot where you had been feeling pain. “It’s been dull for the past week or so, but last night I got shooting pain so bad that it woke me up from sleeping. I’ve also been having some issues with weight loss, so we just wanted to come in and make sure everything is still going smoothly.”

Doctor Jennings nodded along thoughtfully while you gave her your spiel. “It was definitely a good idea for you two to come in today. We’ll get your ultrasound started right away and take a look at everything going on in there.”

You forced a smile and nodded at her. While she was preparing things for the ultrasound, you turned to Tyler for reassurance. Your lip was already quivering a bit and your eyes were becoming watery again.

“It’s going to be ok,” he mouthed.

You nodded, although you weren’t so sure that you could believe him.

“Alright, let’s get this thing started,” Doctor Jennings said.

You sat patiently as she carefully pulled your sweatshirt up and applied the gel to your stomach. She began to move the transducer around your stomach, occasionally typing things into the computer or squinting carefully at the screen. Your eyes flicked quickly between her and the screen, desperately trying to determine what was going on. It was near impossible.

The ultrasound eventually ended and Doctor Jennings took her gloves off. She folded her hands in her lap and looked between you and Tyler.

“Did you figure out what was wrong?” Tyler asked, leaning forward in his chair.

“I did,” she sighed. “I’m afraid that I couldn’t find a heartbeat anymore.”

“What-what does that mean?” you asked, hoping the answer wasn’t what you thought it was.

“You had a miscarriage.”

You felt your stomach immediately sink at her words. Next to you, Tyler’s face had completely drained of color and he had leaned back in his chair.

“I lost the baby?” you croaked out.

“I’m afraid so. It’s fairly common this early in the pregnancy. If you’d like, I can give you some recommendations for counselors in the area that can help you process this.”

“I think we’re ok. Are we-uh-are we free to go?” you asked.

“Yes.”

“Ok, thank you for the help.”

You stood up and made a beeline out of the room, not even checking to see if Tyler was following out of you. Your mind was focused on getting out of this place, away from everything and everyone that reminded you of how you had failed. Tyler, of course, managed to catch up to you before you made it out of the building.

You broke down the second that the car door slammed closed behind you. Ugly sobs wracked your body and you were shaking uncontrollably. Tyler rested a hand on your shoulder, but there was only so much that he could do from the driver’s seat of the car.

“Babe, listen, this isn’t your fault.”

“Can we just get home, please?” you hiccupped.

“Yeah,” Tyler trailed off, his hand slowly falling away from your shoulder.

The only sounds on the way home were your sobs mixed with the quiet music from the stereo. Tyler didn’t try to comfort you anymore, it was no use with how distressed you were; he only hummed quietly as he drove along the freeway.

You walked straight over to the couch and wrapped a blanket around yourself once you got home. The world felt unbearable for the time being, and the only way you knew to deal with this sinking feeling was to hide away from the world. Tyler walked over and took a seat on the couch by your covered head.

“Y/N,” he called softly, resting a hand on your arm. You sniffled in response. “Can I see your beautiful face, please?”

“Why would you want to see my face? I lost our baby,” you mumbled.

“Babe, no. Why would you say that?”

“Because I did!” you whined. “This is all my fault. You were so excited and I messed it all up, just like with everything.”

Tyler took matters into his own hands and pulled the blanket away from you, revealing your teary-eyed, snot-covered face. He didn’t look at you any differently though, it was something you admired about him.

“Listen, shit happens, but this isn’t your fault. You did everything in your power to make sure you had a healthy baby, I watched you do it, and I don’t want you to blame yourself for a second, ok?

“But, Ty-”

“No, I’m not going to let you beat yourself up like this. Miscarriages happen sometimes, it doesn’t mean you did anything wrong.” You sniffled. “I want you to know that I don’t view you any differently or love you any less. We have more opportunities to have a child, this isn’t the end of the world.”

You turned your head so that you could see his face. His eyes were brimmed with tears, and you were surprised that he was able to keep his voice so steady. He rarely cried freely in front of you, and it made your heart hurt to see him like this.

“I’m so sorry, Ty. I’m making this all about me and it shouldn’t be. This is hard for both of us and we need to be here for each other, I shouldn’t be tearing myself down.”

“Don’t apologize,” he smiled. “Never apologize for feelings.”

You sat up so that you were facing Tyler. A tear was running down his cheek, so you reached forward and carefully wiped it away. He grabbed your hand and squeezed it tightly.

“I love you so much. Baby or not, you mean the world to me,” Tyler said.

“I love you too, Ty.”

“Now why don’t we go upstairs and curl up in bed and watch a movie to take our mind off of this for a little while?”

“That sounds nice,” you smiled.

He gave you a gentle kiss on the temple before smiling widely at you, “Race you upstairs?”

“You’re going down, Joseph.”

“Not if you go down first, Joseph.”

You both took off up the stairs and launched yourself onto the bed, Tyler barely beating you. He gloated for a bit before letting it go and curling up next to you in bed, wrapping his arms protectively around you. Your back was still a bit sore and your heart was heavy, but you felt a bit better knowing that Tyler was there for you every step of the way.


	12. Late Delivery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yay request are open!! What about open were the reader is going into labor with Ty’s baby and it could be fluff or angst/sad ending your fics are da best

“Fuck,” you muttered, grabbing the edge of the kitchen counter to steady yourself.

You glanced at your watch to check the time, it had been just under five minutes since your last contraction. There was no denying the fact that you were in labor now, and you couldn’t put off going to the hospital any longer.

Unfortunately for you, you were home alone. Tyler had left the morning before to go on a quick trip to iron out some details for the upcoming album. He had been hesitant about leaving in case the baby came early and wanted to send Josh to handle everything alone, but you had insisted it would be fine and sent him on his way. It was only going to be an overnight trip and the baby wasn’t due for another week, after all.

Turns out you were wrong.

You grabbed your phone from the counter as soon as the contraction finished and dialed up your mom who had been staying in town over the past few days so that she would be here when you went into labor. She was nothing if not a bit overprotective, and ecstatic for a grandchild, for that matter.

“Hello?” your mom picked up the phone after one ring.

“Mom, hi,” you said. “I need you to come pick me up and take me to the hospital. I think I’m in labor.”

Your mom squealed on the other end of the phone, “Ok! I need to gather a few things and then I’ll be right over.”

“Thank you.”

You hit the end call button and immediately started to search through your contacts for Tyler’s name. It rang four times before Tyler finally picked up.

“Sorry, phone was in the other room and I didn’t hear it ringing at first. What’s up?”

You were about to start speaking when another contraction started.

“Ty, I’m…you need to…get home right…now.”

“What’s going on? Are you ok?”

“It’s happening.”

Tyler gasped quietly on the other end of the line. “The baby?”

“Yes, doofus,” you paused as another shock of pain ran up your back. “Now get your ass home before you miss it.”

“Ok, we weren’t planning to leave for another couple hours but I’ll get everyone moving. I’ll be at the hospital as soon as I can.”

“You better.”

“I love you, babe. You’ve got this.”

“I love you too.”

Tyler ended the call and you began to walk around the house gathering things you needed to bring to the hospital. Every so often, you had to stop and take a second to breathe as another contraction passed. Anxiety sat at the back of your mind as you thought of how far away Tyler was right now, but you tried to push it away. Added anxiety wasn’t going to help your case right now.

Your mom showed up at the door just as you were pulling your shoes on. She let herself in and immediately began to run through the house until she found you bent over in the living room. Once your shoes were on, she helped you up to a standing position.

“How frequent are your contractions?” she asked as she led you out to the car.

“About every three to four minutes,” you said.

“That baby is definitely coming,” she smiled.

“I know, that’s why I want to get to the hospital.”

You arrived at the hospital twenty minutes later. Your mom handled all the talking as you waddled along behind her, one hand rested protectively on your stomach. A nurse quickly arrived with a wheelchair and you were thankful for not having to walk any longer, it was getting increasingly difficult as the contractions were getting more intense.

The hospital room that they put you in was simple, not unlike many hospital rooms that you had seen before. Nurses walked in and out of the room freely, occasionally stopping to update one another with the latest news or let them know where they would be. Your mom sat in one of the hospital chairs, clutching tightly to her little bag.

“Mom, did you really need to bring an entire bag of things to the hospital?” you asked, finally feeling comfortable enough to make conversation not related to the baby.

“Yes!” she smiled. “I have snacks, a book, some yarn…”

“Why do you need all that?” you asked.

“Labor can take awhile, you know.”

“Don’t remind me,” you grumbled.

“It’s going to be alright, dear.”

Your phone buzzed on the table beside you and you quickly grabbed it. On the screen was a text from Tyler.

_About an hour from home. Hope everything is going ok. Love you <3_

You tossed your phone back on the table and pushed your hair back from your face, trying not to let your worries get the best of you. Your mom immediately noticed your nervous demeanor, and came over to stand by you.

“What’s going on? Is it Tyler?” she asked.

You nodded. Conveniently, another contraction started. Unfortunately for your mom, who had taken hold of your hand for reassurance, this meant you squeezing her hand as it passed. Once it settled, she let go of your hand and rubbed it a bit.

“Sorry,” you said sheepishly. “It happened so fast that I didn’t really think about what I was doing.”

“It’s alright, dear,” she said, running a hand along your hair. “I was the same way with your grandma when I was in labor with you,” she smiled.

“Tyler said he’s still an hour away,” you sighed.

“I’m sure he’ll be here by the time you have the baby. You heard the doctors, you still have a little while before you have to start pushing.”

Turns out that “a little while later” really only meant fifteen minutes. Your doctor walked in and announced that it was time to start pushing, and the color practically drained from your face. Tyler had been with you for every step of the pregnancy process so far, but now that it was time for you to actually deliver the baby, he was out of town with the band.

“Can’t we wait?” you pleaded. “My husband isn’t here yet, I know he wants to be here.”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Joseph, but we can’t control when the baby is ready to leave.”

You looked from the doctor to your mom, as if she could somehow execute some executive force like when you were a kid. Unfortunately, this was the adult world and her mom authority could only go so far.

“It’s going to be ok, dear. He’s forty-five minutes away and pushing usually lasts for a couple hours. He’ll surely be here before the baby is born.”

You nodded, hoping that your mom was right. She walked over and took your hand once again, assuming Tyler’s position while he was elsewhere.

You had been pushing for just under an hour when Tyler ran into the room. His hair was plastered to his forehead by sweat and his cheeks were a bright red color. A wave of relief rushed through you as soon as you saw him.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said, flashing a lopsided smile.

“What are you doing? Get over here!” your mom said.

“Right,” Tyler said, walking over and taking your mom’s place.

You grabbed onto his hand, which was a bit sweatier and warmer than you would have liked it to be. You really couldn’t complain though, nothing else really mattered as long as he was here with you.

“I’m really sorry I wasn’t here. There was all this traffic and then Josh insisted we stop to get lunch and-”

“Ty,” you huffed. “Now is not the time.”

“Right, sorry. You got this, babe. Look at you go!

“Tyler, that’s enough!”

“You’re like a baby-having machine!”

“Tyler Joseph if you do not shut up so help me,” you snapped.

“Sorry.” Tyler placed a gentle kiss on your sweaty temple.

Your baby girl was born at 6:49 in the afternoon on what had been a sunny Tuesday. Tyler practically squealed when he was finally given the opportunity to hold her after she had been cleaned up.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I might have brought a few people with me,” Tyler said sheepishly, your daughter still cradled in his arms.

“Tyler, who did you-”

You were interrupted by Josh and most of their management team walking into the room. All of their faces lit up when they saw the baby in Tyler’s arms. You were a bit embarrassed by your disheveled appearance, even though you were hardly the first thing on anyone’s mind right now.

“We didn’t really have time to drop everyone off, so I brought them all with me.”

Each of them gave you a small wave.

“She’s beautiful,” Josh said, gently touching the baby’s fingers.

“Right?” Tyler smiled.

You sighed and leaned back into your pillows. As tired and sore as you were, you couldn’t help but smile at the wonderful people that you were surrounded by, including your new daughter.


	13. Vows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyler imagine where it’s in the future, the both of you getting ready for the wedding day. him preparing his vows to how he knew the reader was the one when he first laid eyes on her through the crowd

**Your POV**

Bridesmaids were flitting around you as you stood in front of the mirror, looking over yourself for what felt like the millionth time that afternoon. You adjusted your dress this way and that, not quite sure how exactly you wanted it to sit on you. Your maid of honor walked up beside you and laid a hand delicately on your shoulder, obviously noticing your distress.

“You look gorgeous, Y/N, and I know that Tyler is going to think the same.”

You tugged at the fabric of your bodice, “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she smiled, reaching over and carefully adjusting it.

You let your hands drop back to your sides, carefully examining the fabric. It was good enough, so you turned away from the mirror to get yourself to focus on something else and not mess up your dress. The longer you stared, the more you would want to change it again.

“Half an hour!” the wedding planner called before disappearing back out into the hallway again.

Girls went scattering all over the place, finding dropped hairpins and making last minute adjustments to themselves before they would be walking down the aisle. Your niece went running across the room with crayons in her hands, being closely chased by her mother who was muttering something about not ruining her pastel dress. You wondered if perhaps making a three year old your flower girl had been a poor choice.

 

**Tyler’s POV**

I dug around in my pocket, feeling for the little slip of paper that had my vows hastily scribbled on it. Writing them had been a long process, mostly composed of writing down individual lines as they came to me. I had tried to sit down and write them all at once, but that just led to frustration and crumpled sheets of paper being tossed haphazardly in the direction of the trashcan. It was like songwriting, but ten times harder.

My hand met the paper, and I slowly wrapped my fingers around it and pulled it out of my pocket. It was crumpled and there was a hard crease where one of the corners had been bent down, not exactly the type of paper you would expect vows to be on.

The room that I was in was empty, but that was because having all the groomsmen yelling loudly around me was stressing me out more than was necessary, not because nobody wanted to be around me. They had all disappeared off down the hall, most likely to see what the bridesmaids were up to, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Whether that was a good thing or not, I had yet to decide.

I walked over to the mirror and stood in front of it, looking at myself. My tie seemed out of place, so I adjusted it, which only made it look more out of place. I made a mental note to ask Zack or Jay how it looked later. I tried to ignore my appearance and instead opened the crumpled paper and looked down at it. My handwriting was messy, but legible. Not that I needed the paper, my vows were already in my head, but Y/N had insisted that we have them on paper since she was convinced her nerves would make her forget hers.

I quietly cleared my throat and looked at myself in the mirror, “Y/N, from the moment that I saw you across the crowd, I knew that I needed to know you. For the rest of the night, my mission was to meet you, which anyone who’s heard the story knows may have involved jumping a fence and pushing past my own security guards.” I allowed myself a small smile at this, remembering the night. “The lecture from security was a small price to pay in order to meet the girl that, in that moment, I knew I wanted to marry.”

I paused and took a moment to compose myself. I already knew that today was going to be emotional, but there was no doubt in my mind now that I wouldn’t be able to get through the ceremony without crying.

“Y/N, I promise to always be your shoulder to cry on, your biggest supporter, and your partner in crime. I’ll watch dumb comedies with you when you’re sick, call you every night when I’m away on tour, and bring you coffee on the way home from meetings. No matter what happens, I am going to stay by your side and love you no matter what. I am so lucky to be able to call you my wife, and nothing will ever change how I feel about you. I love you.”

I took a deep breath and folded the paper back up. There was so much more that I wanted to talk about, but vows were supposed to be short. I could go on for hours about how I almost stopped singing when we locked eyes for the first time, the way that I couldn’t even spit words out for the first few seconds that I stood face to face with her, or the way that her laugh made my heart melt. Thankfully, I had the rest of my life to tell her all the ways that I loved her.

Zack and Jay walked back into the room, discussing something or other. I hastily wiped a tear off of my cheek and turned to face the two of them.

“Is my tie straight?” I asked.

The two of them scrutinized it carefully. “I think so,” Jay said.

“It looks straight,” Zack added.

“Ok,” I said, taking another deep breath. I had been doing that a lot today.

The wedding planner popped her head into the room and smiled widely, revealing shining white teeth, “Ready to walk in five minutes?”

“Yeah,” I said, stuffing the vows back into my breast pocket. As cliché as it might have been, I liked to have them close to my heart.

Zack gave me a pat on the back, “I can’t believe you’re getting married.”

I smiled, “I can’t believe it either. Who knew that seeing a pretty girl in the crowd could end so well?”


	14. If It Means A Lot To You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song fic to the song If It Means A Lot To You - A Day To Remember to either Tyler or Josh. Whichever you feel matches the song best

_Hey, darling. I hope you’re good tonight._

You smiled at the text from Tyler. Despite the fact that he was in a timezone hours ahead of you, he had made sure to remind you that he was thinking of you. You typed out a quick response before setting your phone down and returning to the show you were watching.

Spending months away from Tyler was hard, but you had known what you were getting yourself into when the two of you started dating. His music career had just started to take off, and you had known that it would only be a number of months before he was playing sold out shows all over the world. The feeling that Tyler gave you wasn’t one that you were willing to just throw away, though. Love meant sacrifice, and for you that sacrifice was spending most of your time miles apart.

The first months apart were always the easiest. Memories of cuddling up with Tyler on the couch and making dinner together were still fresh in your mind, and it was when you felt the most like you could make it through the tour. You knew the security would slowly fade away, but you took advantage of it while you could.

 

_Hey, sweetie. I need you here tonight._

You debated not sending Tyler the text. He was already stressed enough from touring, and you didn’t want to add him worrying about you on top of that. It had been almost four months since he had left, and the doubt was beginning to creep in.

He couldn’t really be there with you, you knew that, but even seeing his face would help you feel just a little bit better. It was hard for you to talk about your insecurities because so many people would brush them off and tell you how lucky you were to be dating someone like Tyler. So many people would kill to be in your position, so you limited yourself to talking about your issues with Tyler.

Your phone began to ring, flashing Tyler’s contact picture at you. You smiled as you reached for your laptop at the end of the bed.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Tyler asked as soon as you answered the FaceTime call, worry evident on his face.

“I’m just having a hard night. My mind is winning the battle right now,” you sighed, fiddling with the strings of your sweatshirt.

“I know it’s hard right now, but every day is one day closer to coming home.”

“We’re almost halfway.”

You and Tyler talked for a few hours until he was practically falling asleep. It took you awhile to convince him that you were feeling better, even though you weren’t, so that he would finally get off the call and get some much needed rest. He would stay up all night with you if he needed to, but you knew that right now touring was more important than you were, no matter what Tyler said.

You closed your laptop and slid it back down towards the end of the bed before you pulled your knees into your chest. Tears slipped silently down your cheeks as thoughts bounced around your head. You loved Tyler more than anything, but you couldn’t keep doing this. His fame was only going to continue to grow, meaning bigger shows and longer tours.

There was a decision that had to be made, and you weren’t looking forward to making it.

 

“I can’t wait through everything.”

You read the line out loud to yourself a few times, not wanting to believe it despite the fact that you had written the line yourself just a few minutes ago. Keeping a journal had proved to be the best way to keep your mental health in check when Tyler was in crazy timezones hours ahead of you. Usually it brought you peace, but recently it had been forcing you to face the thoughts you had so desperately been trying to avoid.

You slammed the journal closed, not caring if the ink smudged. In fact, you hoped it did, that way you wouldn’t be forced to face the reality of your situation. Spending months alone battling your anxieties and fears just to have a few months of peace with Tyler just wasn’t sustainable. You needed to put yourself first, and sometimes that meant letting go of something you loved.

You picked up your journal and threw it across the room. It hit the wall with a resounding smack and fell to the floor. There were only a few months left until the end of the tour, but that was still another three months going to bed alone and wondering just what it was that Tyler was up to. If you could just wait until he got home, then you knew everything would feel ok again and you would be reminded of why you put yourself through this.

But then another tour would begin, and thus the cycle would continue. In a little while, you would find yourself where you were right now: hopeless and alone. Deep down, you knew what had to be done. First, you just had to find the strength to do it.

 

“Is this really happening?”

You bit down on your trembling lip. Tyler’s voice sounded so broken, even through the computer. You hated to do this over FaceTime, but you knew that if you waited for him to get home then you wouldn’t have the strength to go through with it.

“I’m sorry, Tyler.” You couldn’t even bring yourself to look at him.

He sighed and you saw him bury his head in his hands out of the corner of your eye. Your chest hurt, and you were sure that Tyler was feeling the same way. Neither of you wanted to end things, but you knew that it was better for the both of you if you did.

“Are you going to be gone before I’m home?”

“Yes.”

Brown boxes stood stacked in the corner of the bedroom, messily marked with their contents. You had been packing for a few weeks, just to make sure that all of your things would be gone before Tyler got home. There was only a month left until the tour was over, and the last few shows were right near your hometown.

“How long have you felt like this?”

“I don’t know, a couple months I guess.”

“A couple months?” Tyler was clearly shocked. You had hid it well.

“I love you, Tyler, but I can’t keep going like this. I have to take care of myself first.”

“I understand, but-damn it, Y/N.”

“I have to go,” you said, not able to stand seeing Tyler like this any longer.

“Ok.”

You reached forward and ended the call. As soon as you were sure he couldn’t hear you, you let out the sobs that you had been so carefully holding back. The decision had been made, now you had to deal with the consequences.

 

_We knew it would happen eventually._

That’s what all of the tweets that were popping up on your timeline essentially boiled down to. There had been countless comments that Tyler had seemed off during the last couple shows. His energy levels weren’t the same. He was smiling less. He was tearing up more often.

It hadn’t taken much speculation for people to find out that you two were no longer together. The news was all over Twitter, Instagram, basically every social media platform that you were active on. People kept asking Tyler to confirm or deny, but he was staying silent on the subject. People eventually started to do the same to you, but you followed Tyler’s lead and ignored it. He was the one under the scrutiny of the media, so he should choose how and when to handle it. You were just a normal person now, by most people’s standards, so you didn’t have to handle these things publicly.

Tomorrow marked the day that Tyler would have come home, just a few short days before the official end of the tour. You had left the house a week ago, leaving most things in tact. Tyler was the one that had bought most of your possessions, anyway, he deserved to keep them.

You wondered if the people on Twitter were right. Maybe your relationship had been doomed from the beginning.

 

“Now everybody’s singing-”

You turned the TV off before the anchor could even finish his sentence. It was no secret that Tyler and Josh’s tour had been a success. They were bigger than ever now and their songs were on the radio constantly, it seemed. You were proud of Tyler, after all, this is what he had always wanted.

You considered reaching out and congratulating him, but ultimately decided against it. The wound of the breakup was still fresh, and talking to him was a slippery slope that you would rather not chance. The breakup had been your decision, and you had to stick by that no matter how much you missed him.

You felt more at peace now than you had when you were with Tyler. There was something freeing about knowing that you weren’t waiting around for anybody. Sure, you felt a pang of sadness every now and again when you thought about Tyler. He had made you happier than anyone else had before, but sometimes things just didn’t work out.

You wondered if your life would have been different if you hadn’t made the last minute decision to go to his show that one night. Things would have certainly been easier, but you knew that meeting Tyler had been an important moment in your life.


	15. Wide Awake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wide Awake - Katy Perry song imagine to Tyler or Josh?

The divorce had hit you like a brick. You hadn’t seen it coming until the very moment that Tyler slammed the papers down in front of you and insisted that you fill them out. Your breath had been knocked straight from you. If Tyler had been faking his feelings toward you, he had done a hell of a job of it.

You had pleaded with him to change his mind for days. He started sleeping on the couch, leaving you alone with your thoughts in the dark of the bedroom you had once shared. Most nights were spent crying yourself to sleep, wondering how you had missed so many signs.

It had been a few months since the divorce was finalized. You and Tyler had sold the house and moved into separate apartments on opposite ends of town. For a brief period you had considered moving home to be closer to your family again, but you didn’t want to let Tyler win that easily.

The first few days after news of the divorce broke were the hardest. It seemed that every magazine and news station was talking about it, trying to pick it apart and determine just what had happened. People were tweeting you so often asking for your side of the story that you had to delete the app to give yourself some peace. If you were being honest, you weren’t even sure what the true reason for the divorce was. Tyler had never offered an explanation and you would rather not ask.

The worst part of the divorce was the blame that everyone assumed needed to be put on someone. They were unwilling to accept that it had been a mutual decision, even though secretly it hadn’t, and were trying to pick the issue apart. Of course, all of the blame was being pinned on you. After all, you were the nobody who had suddenly gained a large following. You were the one who got to start a glamorous life after living in a small town your whole life. You were the one that was living a life that most people only dreamed of. It was like they had forgotten that falling in love was a two way street.

You had missed Tyler at first. It was true that he had been your rock in the midst of your crazy life. He supported you on the days when the hate got to you, made you feel special, and made sure that you always felt loved. Of course, it was hard to believe that any of it was genuine now. People didn’t tell you they were going to love you forever and then shove a divorce in your face the next day. At least, you didn’t used to think they did.

Someone tapped on your shoulder, pulling you out of the trance that you hadn’t even realized you were in. You looked up to see Josh with his eyebrows knit together, looking at you with concern.

“You doing ok?” he asked.

“What? Yeah, I’m fine. Hi, by the way,” you answered, standing up to hug him.

He rubbed your back as he hugged you, calming your nerves. Thinking about the divorce always stressed you out despite the fact that it had happened months ago.

“Want to walk?” Josh said, gesturing to the path behind him that winded through the park.

“Yeah.”

Even though your and Tyler’s relationship was rocky–that was putting it nicely–you and Josh still stayed in touch. You usually met up for lunch at least once a week, sometimes more if the two of you could find the time. Josh claimed that he didn’t want you to feel alone in the city, but you were pretty sure that was just the excuse he used with Tyler to hide the fact that the two of you actually enjoyed each other’s company.

“So how have things been with you?” Josh asked, digging his hands deep into his pockets.

“Usual, I guess. My apartment is finally beginning to feel like home and it feels like I’m actually getting back on my feet.”

“I’m so glad to hear that.”

“Yeah. I still think about the divorce a lot, but it’s slowly getting less painful. I’m slowly beginning to realize that maybe he didn’t love me as much as I once thought he did.”

“What makes you say that?”

“It was just little things that he did. He would regularly make excuses as to why he couldn’t talk when he was away on tour. I was always the one who put in all the effort on anniversaries. And when he was home, we hardly spent any time together. It was like he did the bare minimum to make me believe that he loved me, and I was so blinded by my love for him and the fact that someone as successful and talented as him was in love with me that I didn’t even notice. Looking back, I realize that I deserve better than that.”

“I never realized that Tyler was that bad. Sure, he occasionally mentioned that you wanted to talk when he was tired, but other than that it seemed like he loved you. He really put on a show for everyone.”

“Exactly! I just don’t understand what he got out of a relationship with me.”

“It’s very possible that he was in love with you at first, but rather than ending things when he started to lose that feeling he just kept pretending.”

“I suppose that’s possible, it just doesn’t seem that likely.”

“It’s hard to know.”

“Yeah,” you sighed.

“If you had the chance to do it all over again, would you?”

“That’s hard to say. I definitely learned a lot while I was with him, there’s no disputing that. I had fun, got to experience things that I never imagined I would be able to, and I made some good friends out of it,” you said, nudging Josh’s shoulder with your own. “But I just feel so cheated that if I knew how it was going to end up and how much of my time would end up being wasted, I don’t know that I would.”

“That makes sense. Sometimes I wish I could have warned you of what was happening, but then again I was just as surprised by the divorce as you were.”

“Live and learn, I guess.”

“That’s all you can do.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“How is Tyler doing?”

“Do you want me to be honest or tell you what you probably want to hear?”

“Honest.”

Josh took a deep breath, “He’s doing great. A lot happier than when the two of you were together, that’s for sure.”

Even though it was the answer that you had expected, it still sent a pang of sadness through you.

“That’s ok,” you said, forcing a smile. “Because I’m ok.”

 

Today was the day.

Your hands were gripped tight on the steering wheel, turning your knuckles near white. The drive to the drugstore was a short one, but it gave you just enough time to let every worst case scenario run its course through your mind. Not even the radio could distract you today.

You pulled into the only empty parking spot in front of the store. The car shuddered as the engine shut off and you pulled the keys into your lap. Not wanting to be recognized, you pulled your hood up and grabbed your sunglasses. You’d rather look dumb than be caught buying a magazine with your ex-husband on the cover.

The cashier hardly paid attention as you walked inside. You subconsciously flexed your hands to release tension as you made a beeline for the small selection of magazines that they had towards the back. Tyler’s cover stood out immediately, bold white letters standing out beside him.

_Tyler Joseph tells all about split with Y/N._

You reached for it and scanned the bullet points that were printed under the title.

  * _Never before heard details._
  * _Who’s at fault?_
  * _Read more on page 76!_



You bit down on your lip and walked towards the counter. The cashier looked up at you and flashed her customer service smile. She hardly looked older than sixteen.

“Big fan of Twenty One pilots, huh?” she flipped the magazine over and scanned the barcode.

“You could say that,” you forced a smile as you dug around in your pocket for the crinkled dollar bills you had grabbed before you left.

“We just got these in today,” she said, smacking her gum. “That interview is supposed to have a lot of juicy secrets about the divorce.”

“I’ve heard,” you huffed, wishing that she would work a bit faster.

“Your total is $1.79.”

You handed her two crinkled dollar bills and grabbed the magazine, muttering something about keeping the change as you walked off. All you wanted was to get home and figure out just what he had said about you.

 

The interview started right in the middle of the magazine, next to a full page picture of Tyler sitting in a chair. You had to admit, he looked good with his relaxed posture and barely there smirk. It was like he knew he was still driving you crazy.

You skimmed over the first few questions. It was just the same questions about the band that seemed to be in every interview, you had heard the responses so many times that you could have answered the questions yourself. Finally, you reached the first question about the divorce.

 **Q:**  So, diving a bit deeper here, it’s no secret that you recently split with your wife Y/N. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

 **A:**  Yeah, uh, things just weren’t really working out between us anymore. It’s hard being away on tour all the time and she was working so it was difficult for us to make time for one another. Ultimately, things between us just had to be called off. I wish things could have worked between us, but life just doesn’t work out that way sometimes.

“Bullshit,” you muttered, moving on to the next question.

 **Q:**  Now, I know this is a question that has been on many people’s minds since the news broke, but was the divorce truly a mutual decision? Or did one of you finally bite the bullet and say this needs to end?

 **A:**  I was the first one to bring it up, but [Y/N] agreed with me completely. We both knew that it just wasn’t working anymore and something had to be done about it.

You were fuming now, but you forced yourself to keep reading to see what else he had to say. Maybe he would redeem himself later in the interview.

 **Q:**  You two stayed pretty quiet on social media after everything went down. Is this a reflection of your relationship now? Are you two still friends?

 **A:**  Unfortunately, no. I haven’t talked to her at all since we finalized the divorce. When you break up with someone like that, there’s a healing process involved. It’s only been a few months since things ended, so I think we’re both still working through everything that happened between us. Josh is still on good terms with her, however, so I think that there’s definitely a possibility of reconciliation in the future.

At least there was one thing that he hadn’t lied about, aside from the possibility of being friends with him again. You weren’t going to put yourself back in that situation again, especially now that you knew he would so readily lie about what truly happened between the two of you. A small part of you had hoped he would rectify things, but that wasn’t the case.

The rest of the interview simply talked about their upcoming album, so you closed the magazine and tossed it onto the coffee table. Maybe you would burn it later, that might make the knot in your stomach go away. Not wanting to sit alone with your thoughts much longer, you decided to make a call to the one person who might understand.

“Hello?” Josh picked up almost immediately.

“I read the interview.”

“Y/N,” he sighed. “I thought we agreed that you weren’t going to do that.”

“I know, but I thought that maybe he was going to make things right. I should have known better.”

“You should have.”

“Josh, can I please just get some support right now? I feel like shit as it is.”

“Right, sorry.”

“I just don’t understand how he can lie like that! Why doesn’t he just own up to what he did?”

“I don’t know, Y/N.”

“The divorce was anything but mutual. He slammed those papers down in front of me before we even had a conversation about getting divorced. It wrecked me.”

“He’s probably just embarrassed about how he handled it and is trying to save face.”

“That must be so hard for him,” you muttered sarcastically. “Has he said anything about it to you?”

“Nope. He just mentioned that he was doing a solo interview with a magazine and he didn’t say much else. I assumed it was about the album and didn’t think twice about it. It was only when the magazine started advertising that I realized he had opened up about the divorce.”

“I thought I was over all of this, Josh, but this really feels like a punch in the gut.”

“Listen, why don’t you take some time to process all of this and then later you can come over and we can order pizza and play video games all night?”

“That sounds really nice.”

“I know this interview sucks, but you got through the worst of it already. The divorce is done. You don’t have to deal with Tyler anymore. Now it’s my turn to step in and make sure that you’re taking care of yourself.”

“Thank you so much, Josh,” you said, unable to keep the smile off your face.

“It’s no problem. Also, if you want to bring that magazine over here I’m pretty sure that I have a lighter somewhere that we can use to burn it.”

“You read my mind,” you laughed.

“So see you in a couple hours?”

“Definitely. I’m about to go take the most relaxing bath in history.”

“Good. I’m glad that you’re taking care of yourself, Y/N.”

“All thanks to you.”

“See you later.”

“Bye,” you said, hitting the red end call button.

You set your phone down and leaned back against the couch. The sinking feeling in your stomach hadn’t entirely gone away–and you knew it wouldn’t for awhile–but having Josh as a support system helped you to feel a little better. At least you weren’t entirely alone.

You were going to be ok and that was all that really mattered.

 

This was never supposed to happen.

You had told yourself from the moment the divorce was finalized that you wouldn’t go for his best friend. That no matter how badly he had hurt you, he didn’t deserve that low blow. Of course, that was before Josh had looked at you with those gorgeous brown eyes of his and told you that he was in love with you for the first time.

The two of you had been dating for six months now, and in that time you had felt happier than you ever had with Tyler. Even your worst days with Josh were better than your best with Tyler. For the first time, you knew what it felt like to be totally loved and appreciated. Josh took every opportunity that he could to wrap his arms around you, give you soft kisses, or do something as simple as resting his knee against yours during family dinners.

You still felt a pang of guilt every now and again. Even though Tyler had hurt you, it still seemed unfair to turn around and start dating his best friend. Josh had assured you that it was fine countless times, but it still didn’t sit quite right.

“Y/N?” Josh asked, snapping you out of your daydream.

“Hmm?”

“You doing ok? You’ve been staring at the wall for awhile and I don’t think you’ve blinked once,” he said. His mouth turned up slightly at the end.

“I’m fine,” you said, smiling to reassure him. “Just thinking about everything.”

Josh nodded, “I think I’m about to post the announcement.”

Anxiety immediately creeped its way into your mind, taking away any excitement that you had about finally announcing your relationship with Josh. You slid along the couch so that you could look over his shoulder, one of your hands rested lightly on his arm. He already had a caption typed out, although you couldn’t quite make out what it said from where you were sitting.

“You’re sure you want to do this?” you asked, trying to mask the way your voice shook.

He turned so that he could look at you, a smile on his face, “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

You grabbed his cheek and pulled him into a kiss. Knowing that Josh was confident in this decision helped to alleviate some of your fear. Even if everything went wrong, at least you would still have him.

“Posted,” he said.

You grabbed your phone and opened Instagram. Josh’s post appeared at the top. It was a picture of the two of you that he had taken a few months back. He was kissing your cheek as you laughed. You scrolled down so that you could read the caption.

 **joshuadun**  i’ve kept this on the downlow for quite some time, but i just wanted to let the world know that i love this human more than anything. she’s pretty cool, even though she snores a lot.

@y/n, how’s that for official?

“I’d say that’s pretty good,” you smiled, leaning your head on Josh’s shoulder. “Now to wait for all hell to break loose.”

“We don’t need to worry about that,” Josh said, taking your phone and setting it on the coffee table. “All we have to focus on is one another.”

“You’re right,” you sighed.

You and Josh sat and talked for awhile, completely ignoring your phones. It was a nice distraction from all the worries that were bouncing around in the back of your mind. Him playing with your hair also helped to calm you down.

Josh’s phone began to vibrate against the coffee table. You sat up, allowing him to reach forward and grab it. As he answered the call, you managed to catch the name of who was calling.

Tyler.

“Hello?” Josh said, immediately getting off the couch and walking into another room.

You couldn’t quite make out what Josh was saying, but it sounded heated. He walked back into the room a few minutes later, no longer on the phone, looking frustrated.

“Tyler is coming over.”

“What?” you muttered, immediately feeling your stomach sink.

“He wanted to talk in person.”

“Does he know I’m here?”

“Yeah, I told him.” You wondered how Josh was staying so calm.

“Should I leave?”

“No, he said he wanted you here.”

“Oh,” you said, trying to ignore how the room was starting to spin. “Josh, I need you.”

Josh was at your side in seconds, lightly resting his hand on your leg until he had an ok for more physical contact.

“What do you need me to do?” he asked, his voice calm and gentle.

“A hug. I’d like a hug.”

Josh slid his arms around you, pulling you close to his chest. Your head was tucked under his chin. You held onto him tightly, allowing yourself to feel that he was here with you. That you were safe.

It had been close to a year since you had seen Tyler last. He had walked out the door with his last suitcase, not even taking a second glance back at you. You had sat on the couch and cried for hours after he left, stuck alone in the one place that reminded you of him the most. The image of him leaving was still so clear in your mind.

You hadn’t even noticed Josh humming at first, your mind had been too clouded with thoughts of what was going to happen when you finally saw Tyler again. It was quiet, but you could just barely hear him over the sound of your heaving breaths.

“How are you doing?”

“Better,” you mumbled. “I’m terrified, Josh.”

“It’s ok. I’m going to be here the entire time. I won’t let him do anything that you aren’t comfortable with.”

“Thank you, Josh. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

It was quiet while the two of you waited for Tyler to arrive. You could tell that Josh was worrying, even though he was trying not to show it. He was tapping his fingers more than usual, a nervous habit of his.

You both jumped when the doorbell rang. Josh looked over to you and started to get up, but you grabbed his wrist.

“Together,” you reassured him with a smile, gently pulling him towards you.

He gave you a quick kiss, “Together.”

You could hear Josh greeting Tyler on the other side of the wall. It was quiet, so unlike the usual yelling that occurred when the two of them were together. Your breathing began to pick up as you heard their footsteps on the hardwood floors.

You watched Tyler’s legs as he walked over and took a seat in the armchair, not daring to look at his face yet. The couch dipped slightly as Josh sat down next to you. He didn’t reach out to make physical contact with you like he usually did.

“Hey, Y/N,” Tyler said.

You felt your breath catch when you heard his voice again. Sure, you had heard him speak in interviews with Josh countless times, but there was something different about hearing it in person.

“Hi,” you said, finally looking up at him.

Tyler looked pretty much the same as the last time you had seen him, aside from the fact that his hair was now cut short. He was only looking at you, as if Josh wasn’t even in the room with the two of you right now. Your hands were shaking, but you hid them in the folds of the blanket that was over your legs.

“What did you want to talk about?” Josh asked, his tone defensive.

Tyler leaned back in the chair, gesturing casually between the two of you, “This.”

He was putting on an act, you could tell from his mannerisms. This was affecting him more than he wanted to let on so he was playing the part of the tough guy taking control of the situation. You may not have seen him in close to a year, but you had loved him at one point. There were things about him that you couldn’t just forget.

“How long has it been going on?” Tyler added.

Josh started to answer, but you spoke first, “Six months.”

You saw Josh turn to look at you out of the corner of your eye, but you didn’t meet his gaze. Tyler looked at him, pulling Josh’s gaze away from you.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I knew you were going to freak out, so I wanted to make sure that my relationship with Y/N was actually serious before I told you.”

“I think I have a right to freak out considering she’s my ex-wife.”

You felt the tension rising in your chest, causing your fists to clench. Their raised voices were only stressing you out further.

“You divorced her, Tyler!”

“That doesn’t give you the right to start dating her less than a year later!”

“You don’t have a say in who I date, regardless of your history with them.”

That was it.

“Stop it! Both of you!” you said, standing up from the couch. “I’m sitting right here and both of you are acting like I’m some toy that can just get passed around. I’m my own person, alright? I can’t help who I fall in love with and you two need to stop acting like you’re the only people who have a say in this situation.”

They were both looking at you in shock. Neither of them had expected you to have an outburst like you had. Tears were brimming your eyes from the frustration and stress. It was time for you to take control of the situation.

“Tyler, I need a straight answer,” you said, lowering your voice to a normal volume. “Why did we get divorced?”

His mouth struggled to form words as he looked up at you, color rising to his cheeks. He eventually mumbled a quiet, “I don’t know.”

“Bullshit. I can see it in your face, you know exactly why.”

He looked between you and Josh for a moment. You stared him down, arms crossed, waiting for an answer.

“I, um,” he started quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I ended things because I was scared.”

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. That was an answer that you hadn’t been expecting.

“What?”

He twisted his hands together as he searched for the right words, “I was terrified of how much you meant to me. I showed you parts of me that nobody had ever seen before. My heart stopped every time I looked at you. You took my breath away, Y/N. You could have told me to do anything and I would have. No hesitation. I felt vulnerable and it terrified me.”

Things were finally beginning to piece themselves together, “So why did you leave?”

“To protect myself. I thought that if I pushed you away then I could convince myself that I didn’t love you anymore. I could hide away the pieces of me that I didn’t want anyone to see. It was easier to isolate myself, even if it meant hurting you. That’s why I never offered an explanation.”

“But why lie in the interview?”

“I’m not proud of what I did, Y/N. Like I said, I was scared and I didn’t want people to get the wrong idea about me. I knew that it was going to break you. That it wasn’t fair. But I didn’t see any other option.”

You almost felt bad for Tyler, but then the memories of everything that had happened came rushing the back. The nights spent crying because you felt so deserted. Barely being able to get out of bed because life seemed so hopeless. Thinking you were going to have to move away from the city that you had grown to love. All because Tyler was afraid of being in love.

“There were so many other options!” you snapped. “You can’t even begin to understand the toll that this took on me. I could have helped you, Tyler, but instead you just gave up on me. Who cares, though? As long as your reputation is intact, right?”

“I’m sorry, Y/N. I really am.”

You shook your head, “No. I won’t accept that. If you were sorry, you wouldn’t have left the way that you did.”

You were done, unable to stand looking at Tyler for even another second. Without another glance at him, you left the room and headed straight for Josh’s bedroom.

“Y/N, please,” Tyler started to say.

Josh cut him off, saying something that you couldn’t quite make out from where you were on the stairs. You hastily wiped a tear away and picked up your pace, wanting to be hidden away from the world.

Josh’s comforter was warm. You pulled it up around you, leaving just your head exposed. Hot tears were running down your face, leaving damp spots on his pillow. Your chest was tight and not even deep, shaky breaths seemed to alleviate it.

Josh came upstairs some time later. You had no idea how much time had passed, you had been too busy crying and letting negative thoughts bounce around your head to pay much attention.

“Y/N, hey, what’s going on?” he said, taking a seat next to you on the bed.

“Is he gone?” you squeaked.

“Tyler? Yeah, he left.”

“Am I an awful person, Josh?”

“What? Why in the world would you think that?”

You started sniffling again, “I was so mean. He apologized and I just walked off.”

“Alright, come here,” Josh said, helping you into a sitting position. He pulled you close so that you could lean into his chest and wrap your arms around him. “You aren’t awful just because you didn’t accept his apology. What he did to you was terrible and no matter what his reason was, you didn’t–and don’t–deserve to be treated that way. Apologies don’t always need to be accepted.”

You sighed, “I guess you’re right.”

The room was quiet, aside from you sniffling every so often.

“What did you two talk about once I walked off?”

“Just how things are going to be from here on out. I explained more about why I didn’t tell him about the relationship earlier. He tried to guilt me a little for dating you, but I brushed it off.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize. None of this is your fault. Falling in love is a two way street, and if I thought it was a bad idea I wouldn’t have pursued it.”

“I love you, Josh. So much. Thank you for taking care of me.”

“I love you too. And I’d do anything for the person who makes me the happiest.”

You turned and pulled Josh into a kiss. He moved a hand to your cheek and wiped away your tears with his thumb.

It was still hard for you to believe that someone could care for you so much. After everything happened with Tyler, you hadn’t been sure that true love even existed. But after a few months with Josh you realized that it did exist.

And it was right here in front of you.


	16. Selfish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Selfish - Asia Cruise song imagine to Josh or Tyler?? please?!

You checked the time again. It was now eleven, five hours after Tyler said that he was going to come home so that the two of you could go out to dinner together. He had spent most of the day at an event, promoting the upcoming album with Josh. He had told you that he wouldn’t be gone for more than a few hours, but evidently that wasn’t the case.

The front door swung open and Tyler stepped inside, closing the door softly behind him. You sat up to look at him, crossing your arms while you did so. Your hair was still done and you hadn’t bothered to change out of your nice clothes yet in the hopes he would still get home in time for you two to get dinner.

“Look who finally decided to come home,” you said, not even bothering to hear his side of the story.

“I got caught up talking with important people,” he retorted.

“Did you remember that we had dinner plans tonight?”

“Yeah.”

“So what? You were just going to let me wait for you all night?”

“Like I said, I got caught up with important people. I didn’t know how long it was going to take.”

“You were gone for five extra hours, Tyler! Were they really more important than the dinner plans that we’ve had for weeks?”

“Considering I’ve had this event on the calendar for months, I would say that trumps the dinner plans.”

You sighed and pushed your hair back from your face. The two of you had been like this for months now: fighting constantly about even the smallest of things. Tyler kept putting everything else above you, and both of you refused to be wrong. You were finally reaching your breaking point.

“So are you just done caring about me?” you finally snapped.

Tyler turned to you with a look of total confusion on his face, “Where did you get that idea?”

“Don’t act like it isn’t obvious. Recently it’s been all about your music, even if that’s at my expense.”

“Of course it’s been all about my music recently, Y/N, it’s my career.”

“I understand that, but it seems like you’re just doing your own thing and not letting me in on any of it. We’re in a relationship, you know, and that requires just as much effort as a career.”

“We’ve been dating for over two years, do we really still need to go on dates?”

You had tried to avoid raising your voice up until this point, but with Tyler’s comments it was getting increasingly difficult. As much as you didn’t want to turn this into a screaming match, it seemed like that was the way it was going.

“Yes we need to go on dates! I can’t believe you even had to ask that.”

“I don’t understand you, Y/N. You say you want me to live me dreams and then you tell me that I don’t care about you at all.”

“I do want you to live your dreams, Tyler. But when living your dreams becomes skipping out on plans and then blaming me for getting mad, it starts to seem like you only care about yourself.”

“You know that isn’t true.”

“Do I? Because every time you upset me, you never apologize no matter how badly you hurt me.”

“That’s because it’s never my fault.”

“This is exactly what I’m talking about! You never listen! That’s it. I’m done.”

You got up from the couch and stormed towards the stairs.

“What do you mean you’re done? With this conversation?”

You stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned to face him, “No. I’m done with this relationship,” you hissed.

“Where are you going to go?” he called after you.

“Doesn’t matter,” you answered as you stomped up the stairs.

You walked into the closet and began to pull all of your clothes out. Tyler followed you upstairs and leaned against the doorframe, watching as you threw one thing after another onto the growing pile.

“You’re really serious about this?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m serious. I don’t joke about these things, Tyler.”

“You’re really going to throw away our entire relationship because I came home late?”

“This is exactly my issue with you! You think this fight is only because of what happened tonight but it isn’t. You’re just proving my point that you’re selfish and don’t listen to a thing I say. That’s why I’m ending the relationship.”

Tyler sighed. It was evident that he didn’t agree with what you were saying, despite the fact that you had repeated your point numerous times.

“I just don’t get it, Y/N.”

“I know you don’t.”

You looked over the closet one more time to make sure that you had gotten all of your clothes. Tyler watched as you picked up the pile and pushed past him into the bedroom.

“Really, Y/N, where are you going to go?”

“What has made you suddenly start caring? Has the guilt of how you treated me started to sink in already?”

“I just don’t want you to be in danger.”

“Yeah, right. You just don’t want to be marked responsible if something happens to me. I know how you are, Tyler.”

You had to stand on your toes to get your suitcase down from the top shelf of the closet. Normally you would ask Tyler for help, but you weren’t really in a position to do that right now. He watched as you nearly dropped the bag directly onto your face.

“That’s not the case.”

“Can you just shut up for five minutes? I’ve made up my mind and I’m leaving. Pretending like you suddenly care isn’t going to change that, alright?”

You picked up your phone and sent a text to your friend. If you remembered correctly, she was in the city for a convention and would most likely have a hotel room. That would get you through the night, at least.

“Whatever you say,” he grumbled before walking out of the room.

You were relieved to finally be alone. All you wanted to focus on was packing up your things and getting out of the house as soon as possible. The reality of the situation would hit you soon enough, and you didn’t want to be around Tyler when that inevitably happened.

It took you about forty-five minutes to fully pack up your things. Tyler hadn’t bothered you again during that time, having finally taken the hint that you were done talking about the situation. You had somehow managed to fit everything into three suitcases, which you knew was going to be a pain to get down the stairs.

Tyler was on the couch watching TV downstairs. You tried to be as quiet as possible as you carried your suitcases down the stairs, more because you didn’t want him to see you struggling than you trying to be sneaky. He must have still heard you, because he turned to look at you when you were about halfway down the stairs.

“Done already?”

“I only had to pack my clothes and a few other things with sentimental value.”

“What about everything else?”

“Keep it. You bought most of it anyway.”

“If you say so.”

You wheeled your things over towards the door. Tyler didn’t get up to help, although you hadn’t really expected him to.

You paused before you walked out the front door, “I’m sorry this is what it came to.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry too.”

You nodded before stepping outside, suitcases in tow, and closing the front door. It felt weird to hear an actual apology come out of Tyler’s mouth, but at least you had been able to hear him say it once. It helped to lessen the pain a bit.

You threw your suitcases in the back of your car before hopping in the front seat. Your friend had texted saying that she had a couch in her hotel room for you to sleep on, so that’s where you were heading.

It was time to do things your way.


	17. Shower

You rolled over in bed, shutting your eyes tight to block out the light that was pouring in from the window. The shower was running in the bathroom, meaning that Tyler had already woken up and started with his day. His voice was just audible over the sound of the running water.

It wasn’t often that you had a chance to hear Tyler just singing for himself. He was a performer at heart and it showed. Every live show–no matter how big or small–had to be perfect in his eyes right down to the vocals. But when he was in the shower, he accepted the voice cracks and notes that didn’t sound quite right as they were.

You curled up in bed and closed your eyes, taking in the sound of his voice. There was something special about hearing him perform in the shower. Maybe it was the fact that he thought nobody was listening. Or the fact that you knew you were the only who got to hear him like this.

He finished singing and shut the shower off. You listened as he walked around the bathroom, still humming quietly to himself. Finally, he walked out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. His eyes landed on you and he smiled.

“Good morning, sunshine,” he grinned, walking over to the dresser.

“Morning, babe,” you answered.

“How long have you been up?”

“Long enough to hear your performance in the shower this morning.”

He turned to look over his shoulder, eyebrows raised, “You heard that?”

“Hard not to,” you giggled.

Tyler grabbed whatever clothes he had been looking for and headed back towards the bathroom. You admired the way his muscles moved as he walked, covered in droplets of water.

“Enjoying the view?”

Your eyes moved up to meet Tyler’s. He was smirking at you, obviously amused by the fact you had been completely oblivious to him knowing you were staring.

“Go put some pants on,” you muttered.

Your cheeks were burning bright red and you were quick to bury your face in the blanket once the bathroom door had closed. A year and a half of dating and he still knew how to make you blush like the day you had met.

Your face was still hidden when the bathroom door opened again. The bed dipped with Tyler’s weight and seconds later the blanket was being pulled away from your face. A tattooed arm came into your vision.

“Don’t tell me you’re embarrassed,” Tyler’s voice was quiet.

You looked at him out of the corner of your eye, “You never fail to make me blush, Ty.”

He scooted closer so that you could feel his body heat. It seemed he had listened to your request of him putting pants on, but he had still neglected to put on a shirt. Not that you were complaining.

Tyler reached out and rested a hand on your cheek, turning your head so that you were now looking at him. Once glance at him made your heart melt and before you knew it you were smiling like an idiot.

“You’re adorable,” he smiled, hand still resting on your cheek.

“Shut up,” you rolled your eyes.

“You are,” he said, leaning closer to you now. “I’m so lucky.”

You looked down and tried to ignore the fact that your cheeks were burning once again, “You’re annoying.”

His hand moved to under your chin, tilting your head back up, “You love me.”

“I do love you.”

This caused him to smile and scrunch his nose. You smiled at his reaction. It never failed to amaze you that you could make someone that was adored by so many people turn into a giddy idiot with a few words. This was a side of him that nobody else got to see.

“Look who’s being adorable now,” you smiled.

“Still doesn’t live up to you.”

You rolled your eyes but Tyler had other ideas. He pulled you into a kiss, his hand moving from your chin to the back of your neck. You reached out and rested a hand on his chest.

“Who knew I would get so lucky,” Tyler whispered.

“I could say the same.”

You laid back down, prompting Tyler to do the same. His brown eyes were staring straight into yours.

“Hey, Ty” you said, reaching out and playing with a strand of his wet hair.

He closed his eyes and smiled, obviously enjoying your fingers in his hair, “Hmm?”

“You should sing in the shower more often.”

“Should I?”

“Yeah, it sounds really nice.”

“Maybe sometime you can join me and we’ll do a duet.”

“Shut up!” you laughed, lightly shoving his shoulder. “Can you just take the compliment and not be weird about it?”

“Fine,” he sighed. “But keep it in mind.”

“Whatever, Ty.”

He opened his eyes and scooted closer to you, wrapping his arms around you so that his body was pressed up against yours.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, but I need to take a shower of my own soon.”

“Will you sing for me?”

“I wouldn’t count on it.”

“Fine,” he huffed.

He buried his face in the crook of you neck and closed his eyes. You ran your fingers lightly along his arm, tracing the shapes of his tattoos and taking in the moment. It wouldn’t be long before the two of you left for tour again and you wouldn’t get to have as many moments like this.

“That feels nice,” Tyler mumbled into your collarbone.

You didn’t want to get out of bed, even though there were a million things that you and Tyler needed to get done today. Not to mention that this was the calmest that Tyler had been all week, tour preparations never failed to stress him out.

“I’m going to shower now,” you said, starting to slide out from under Tyler.

“No,” he groaned, wrapping his arms tighter around you. “Stay with me.”

“Ty,” you sighed, brushing a couple strands of hair away from his forehead. “I have to get ready for the day so that we can get stuff done.”

“Five more minutes?” he pleaded.

“Fine, but just five.”

You laid back down and Tyler adjusted himself slightly. His breathing slowly became steadier and in a few minutes he was asleep. Deciding that this was your opportunity to escape, you gently laid him down on the pillow next to you and got up. Tyler grumbled a bit, but you reassured him that you had stayed for the full five minutes.

“Don’t have too much fun without me,” he said, still half asleep.

You smiled at his sleepy demeanor, “No promises.”


	18. Heartbeat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> song imagine to heartbeat by childish gambino to Tyler?

“You coming, babe?” your boyfriend called from the living room.

“Yeah,” you answered. “I’ll be there in a second.”

Your phone buzzed in your hand as you were walking back from the kitchen. You twisted your hand so that you could see the screen without spilling the drinks that you were carrying in the process.

You felt your stomach drop when you read the name. It was Tyler, your ex-boyfriend that you just couldn’t seem to keep out of your life. Your current boyfriend didn’t know about him, and you intended to keep it that way.

“You alright?” he asked as you sat down on the couch and passed him his drink. “Your face looks kinda pale.”

“Fine,” you smiled as you deliberately set your phone down on the couch next to you so that the screen wasn’t visible. “Must be the lighting.”

The text would have to wait.

“Whatever you say.”

 

The credits began to roll on the screen. You were curled up in your boyfriend’s arms, trying to ignore the text that kept flashing in the back of your mind. Your phone was on the other end of the couch, hidden away from your boyfriend’s prying eyes.

“Y/N,” he said.

“Yeah?”

You felt him take a deep breath before he started to speak, “I want you to come back home with me and meet my parents.”

You sat up suddenly and turned to face him, a mixture of worry and panic on your face, “What?”

You had never intended for your relationship to get this serious. Things with Tyler were still messy and your current boyfriend was more of a distraction than anything.

“We’ve been dating for a few months and things seem to be going well. My family is important to me, and it just seems like the right move.”

He looked a bit upset that you had reacted so intensely to his suggestion. You almost felt bad for him, but you knew that it wasn’t fair to him to act like things were serious.

“I’m just…not comfortable with that yet,” you said, trying to give him a reassuring smile.

“Come on, Y/N. It won’t be that bad.”

He reached out and tried to rub your arm, but you shifted away from it.

“I just don’t think we’re that serious yet.”

“What do you mean we’re not that serious?”

“It’s only been a few months, Y/B/N. Things haven’t really picked up.”

“So the dates and the sex and the late nights and feelings, are those all for fun?”

_Yes._

“No! That’s not what I mean at all. It’s just so early in the relationship, it’s hard to tell.”

He was getting angry now. Both of you were starting to raise your voices, and if you weren’t careful this would be a full blown fight.

“Well it isn’t hard for me,” he huffed. “I love you, Y/N, and I think that our relationship could actually go all the way.”

You opened your mouth to say something, but he cut you off again.

“You know what? Why don’t you take some to think about if this relationship is actually worth it to you or not? Call me when you figure it out.”

Y/B/N got up and walked to the front door. He grabbed his coat and car keys from beside the door and walked out without another word, letting the door slam behind him. You leaned back against the couch and sighed.

The image of the text message popped into your mind again. You reached over and grabbed your phone, deciding that three hours was enough time to make Tyler wait for a response.

_I’m in town._

Of course he was. He always showed up at the most unexpected times.

_It’s not fair._

Ironically, Tyler was the only one who would understand your relationship problems. Your friends had no idea that you two were still seeing each other, if you could call it that. It was more like hooking up whenever he was in town. You hated the dynamic that the two of you had, but something about him was so magnetic that you just couldn’t let him go.

_What’s going on?_

Rather than trying to explain everything to him through a text, you dialed his number. You already knew where this was going, so you might as well accept it now.

“Hello?”

His voice was so familiar. Safe, even.

“Hi, Tyler.”

“So what’s wrong?”

You started to explain the story to Tyler. It only took a few minutes for you to start crying about your situation and ask him where he was staying.

“I’ll be over in ten minutes.”

 

“We can’t keep doing this,” you whispered.

The room was dark and you could just barely make out Tyler’s shape on the bed next to you. He shifted slightly and reached up to lightly rest his fingers on your forearm. You felt tingles where he touched you.

“Why not?”

“Because this doesn’t work, Tyler. The hooking up whenever you’re around. It’s preventing both of us from moving on like we should be. There’s a reason we broke up in the first place.”

Tyler moved his hand so that it was now resting on your waist. His hand was warm against your bare skin.

“It’s worked so far.”

“No. This needs to stop.”

He took his hand off of you. Your skin felt cold where it had been.

“Fine, have it your way.”

He got out from under the covers. You watched as he pulled his pants on and grabbed the rest of his clothes from around the room.

“You’re leaving?”

“Yeah, I’m leaving.”

“Ty, it’s two in the morning.”

“Doesn’t matter. It’s not like I’m going to spend the rest of the night here.”

He pulled on his shirt and left the room without another word. You heard the front door slam downstairs, meaning that he was gone.

Exasperated, you grabbed the pillow from beneath your head and pressed your face into it. You screamed into it, hoping that it would release some of the tension that had built itself up in your chest. Of course Tyler had been upset about you calling things off.

Things being easy had never been an option.

 

It had been a couple days since the incident with Tyler. He hadn’t contacted you since then. You hadn’t talked to your boyfriend either. Part of you was still holding out hope that Tyler would call.

You had only scrolled past a couple photos on Instagram when one of Tyler’s posts popped up. It was from a party he must have gone to the previous night. He was standing with his arm around a girl that you didn’t recognize. The second photo was him with the same girl, although this time his face was much closer to hers, as if he was whispering something in her ear.

He was trying to piss you off. To anyone else, the photos would seem innocent. After all, it was just Tyler at a party with a girl, right?

Wrong.

This was him playing games and trying to make you jealous. As long as you were seeing someone, he was going to make it seem like he was too.

You knew it was all a game, and yet your stomach still twisted in discomfort when you looked at the photos. That had been you at one point, going to parties and posing with Tyler. He probably wasn’t even dating that girl, it was all some scheme to make you feel terrible. And it was working.

You were a bit surprised that he was even with another girl. He had always confessed to you that he was terrified of girls dating him just for his money and fame. That’s part of why he had always liked you so much, you had never cared about anything but him.

Apparently making sure you were hurting was more important to him.

 

“So we’re done?” Tyler’s voice crackled through the phone.

“We were done weeks ago, Tyler,” you answered, rubbing the bridge of your nose.

“I didn’t think you were serious. Do you know how many times you told me we couldn’t hook up anymore?”

“Well I’m serious this time. Next time you’re in town just don’t even bother calling me.”

“Your boyfriend is a real dick, you know that?”

“Stop. You don’t even know him.”

“He’s not cool. He’s fake.”

“Don’t start ragging on him just because you’re mad I called things off.”

“I’m the best that you had. Face it.”

“Bye, Tyler.”

You hung up the call before he could get another word in. Y/B/N was sitting on the couch when you walked into the living room. You hadn’t heard him come in.

“Who’s Tyler?” he asked.

“Just someone from my past,” you smiled, sitting in the spot next to him on the couch.

“You’re not hiding anything from me, are you?”

“No, I would never.”

“Ok,” he said, sliding an arm around you.

You knew that you should feel relieved that things were finally over and you didn’t have to worry about sneaking around your boyfriend’s back. Instead, something still felt off. You wondered if that feeling would ever go away.

Maybe you and Tyler should have never hooked up in the first place.


	19. Caught In The Middle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> request to where reader has feelings for both Tyler and Josh, but she is dating Tyler and occasionally seeing Josh. they both find out and are hurt. she ends up loosing them both? angst please?

“Y/N,” Tyler announced as he walked into the living room.

You sat up from the lounged position that you had been in on the couch and looked at Tyler. He was holding his phone in his hand and looking intently at something on it.

“Yes, babe?” you said.

He looked up at you, “So we’ve been dating for a few months now, and I was wondering if you think it’s a good idea to announce our relationship?”

You felt your heart stop for a second. If Tyler announced your relationship, it would ruin everything that you had so carefully crafted over the last few months. You had somehow managed to pull off being involved with both Tyler and Josh without the other one knowing about it.

You bit down on your lip, “Don’t you think we should wait a little bit longer? I mean, we’ve only been together for two months.”

“Can we at least tell Josh?” Tyler asked, sitting down next to you on the couch. “It’s hard not being able to talk to anyone else about us.”

You waited a moment to answer so that you didn’t seem too scared about the idea.

“I just don’t want to make him feel uncomfortable when the three of us are together, you know?” It was the same exact line you used with Josh all the time.

“I guess that’s fair,” Tyler said, putting his arm around your shoulder. “Waiting another month or so won’t hurt, I guess. I’m just running out of date ideas that don’t involve leaving the house.”

“It will be worth it eventually,” you smiled, although you weren’t so sure.

 

You left Tyler’s shortly after discussing going public with your relationship. Josh would be waiting for you and you had already left Tyler’s much later than you intended to. He answered the door a few seconds after you had knocked, much to your surprise.

“Hey. Sorry if I scared you,” he said after noticing the shock on your face.

“I just didn’t expect you to open the door that fast,” you smiled, stepping into his entryway.

“I happened to be walking past the door when you knocked.”

He closed the door while you took off your coat. Once that was done, he pulled you into a kiss. You were quick to wrap your arms around his neck.

“So what would you like to do today?” Josh asked, his arms still resting on your hips.

“I think I have an idea,” you smirked.

“A movie?” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes,” you beamed, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards his bedroom.

Josh grabbed snacks from the kitchen while you sat on his bed and searched through Netflix for a movie that the two of you hadn’t seen yet. Most of your “dates” consisted of watching movies and cuddling.

“I’ve got popcorn!” Josh smiled as he walked into the room.

“My hero!”

He set the bowl next to you on the bed and you immediately grabbed a large handful of it while continuing to scroll through Netflix with the other hand.

“What about this one?” you asked.

“Yeah, it looks good.”

“Perfect,” you said, tossing the remote aside and snuggling up to Josh.

 

The movie was about halfway over when you got up to use the bathroom. You had only left the room for a couple minutes, but you soon learned that this was enough time to completely ruin the lie that you had so carefully upheld for months.

Josh was holding your phone as you walked back into the room. You stopped dead in your tracks and began to assess the situation. He didn’t look happy and whatever seemed to be upsetting him was almost definitely your fault.

“What is this?” Josh asked, pointing to your screen.

There were two texts on your screen, although he was too far away for you to be able to read them. It didn’t take a genius to guess who they were from, though.

“What is what?”

Josh clenched his jaw for a moment before turning the phone back to himself so that he could read the messages to you.

“A text from Tyler: ‘Loved seeing you today, babe’ with a heart emoji. Then another one: ‘Sorry if you felt pressured to go public with our  _relationship_. Take as much time as you need’. What’s going on, Y/N?”

“I, um…”

“Are you seeing Tyler too?”

“Well, I-”

“You know what? I’ll just call him.”

“Josh, you don’t need to do that.”

But Josh wasn’t listening. He already had the phone held up to his ear as he paced around the other side of his bedroom.

“Hey, Tyler. I just had a quick question for you.”

A short pause.

“Are you and Y/N seeing each other?”

You couldn’t hear Tyler’s answer, but judging by the expression on Josh’s face he hadn’t upheld the lie like you had told him to. Your heart was pounding in your chest as you watched Josh walk around the room, but you remained frozen in place.

“I think you’re going to want to come over here.”

A pause.

“I’ll tell you when you get here. See you soon.”

Josh ended the call and turned to look at you. He didn’t say anything, just glared as he walked past you and out into the hallway. You stayed in his room and took a seat on the edge of his bed. This was the most nervous that you had ever been, and there was still ten more minutes until Tyler showed up.

You practically jumped when you heard the front door open. Knowing that you couldn’t hide in Josh’s bedroom forever, you took a deep breath and headed for the living room.

“What did you need to talk to me about?” you heard Tyler ask.

This was when you made yourself visible. Tyler’s face lit up when he first saw you, but quickly changed to confusion as he turned to look at Josh.

“Y/N? I thought you had work. Wait, are you two…?” Tyler asked, waving his hand between the two of you.

Josh nodded to you, “You can tell him.”

Your breath shook as you inhaled and you turned to look towards your feet, “I’ve been seeing both of you in secret.”

“You’ve what?” Tyler said.

You met his eyes now, “I’ve been lying to both of you. Most of the time when I have to leave ‘for work’ it’s just me coming over here to see Josh and vice versa.”

“Is that why you didn’t want to announce our relationship?”

“Yes.”

“And you didn’t know about this either, Josh?”

“Nope,” he shook his head slowly.

“How did you find out?”

“Y/N was in the bathroom when her phone buzzed and I just glanced at it to see what it was. I saw the heart emoji and then read the whole thing. It was pretty obvious from there, but I called you just to check.”

“You’ve really been lying to both of us, Y/N?”

“I’m sorry, Ty, I-”

“Save it,” Tyler cut you off. “You’re not sorry or you wouldn’t have lied in the first place.”

You wanted to defend yourself, but there was nothing to defend. What you had done was wrong, and you couldn’t really justify it.

“I was just trying to protect both of you from getting hurt,” you said. It was the only semi-reasonable argument that you could think of. Apparently, it had been the wrong one.

“Protect us?” Josh scoffed. “Did you really think that lying and sneaking around behind our backs was going to protect us from getting hurt?”

“What was my other option? Openly telling both of you that I was cheating?”

“How about just picking one of us? Or neither if it was that hard of a decision?” Tyler said.

“Well it was obvious that you both had interest in me! Was I supposed to just break one of your hearts while dating your best friend?”

“Yes!” they said in unison.

“It would be way better than what’s going on now,” Josh added.

“So what happens now?” you asked.

“We’re over,” Tyler said.

“As are we,” Josh chimed in.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it,” Tyler smiled sarcastically.

“I also wouldn’t bother coming to next week’s show. Or any future show, for that matter.”

It felt like every emotion was making its way through your mind right now. You wanted to scream and cry and throw something, but instead you calmly made your way towards the door. Those things could wait until later.

“Well it was nice knowing you two,” you said sarcastically before grabbing your coat and making your way out the door.

The reality of the situation didn’t hit you until you were halfway home. You began to cry as you made your way down the freeway. Two of your closest friends were now gone, completely out of your life because you had been selfish and cruel.


	20. Halloween

“Are you ready to see our costumes, Y/N?” Tyler called from the other room.

“I’m nervous, but yes,” you answered.

You could hear Tyler and Josh cracking up in the other room. The two of them rounded the corner and you brought a hand to your mouth, trying to conceal the smile on your face. Josh had a red beanie pulled over his brightly colored hair and black paint along his hands and neck. Tyler, on the other hand, had sprayed temporary pink dye all over his hair, which was just visible beneath his backwards hat.

“You’re… each other from the Stressed Out video?” you asked.

“Yeah,” Tyler grinned. Josh nodded along excitedly beside him.

You sighed and shook your head, “Then which one of you is my husband for the night?”

“Still me,” Tyler smiled, walking over and wrapping an arm around you.

“I’ve always wondered what it was like to be married to Josh,” you laughed, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

“Mom! Dad! Uncle Josh!” one of your kids yelled from upstairs. “Are you ready for the big reveals?”

The three of you answered and turned to face the stairway. Every year, your kids took turns walking down the stairs and showcasing their costumes, despite the fact that you and Tyler usually handmade most of them and knew exactly what they looked like. The kids enjoyed it though.

Your oldest son was the first to come down the stairs, jumping down them two of three at a time. He had decided to be Spiderman this year and was fully embodying the character. Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, he bent low and pretended to shoot webs at Tyler and Josh.

“Got you!” he smiled.

The three of you clapped and turned your attention back to the top of the stairs. Your daughter appeared at the top of the stairs and did a princess wave at all of you. She had been carefully practicing for weeks, claiming that it needed to be perfect by the time Halloween came around.

“How do I look?” she asked, doing a twirl once she reached the bottom of the stairs.

“Beautiful,” Tyler said.

“Amazing,” Josh added.

You nodded along, although you quickly became distracted by your other son yelling from the top of the stairs. The three of you looked up to see him standing at the top of the stairs, waving his arms wildly in the air. He had decided to be a ghost this year, which only involved cutting eye and arm holes out of a sheet for him to wear. You and Tyler had asked if he wanted to be something a little more complicated, but he insisted on being a ghost.

“Did I scare you?” he asked as he walked down the stairs.

“A little bit,” you smiled.

“My turn!” your youngest daughter called from upstairs.

She carefully waddled down the stairs, being very careful not to step on her tail. After a week or so of deliberation, she had finally decided on being a mouse. The only thing you were worried about was ending up with her facepaint all over the house by the end of the night.

She reached the bottom of the stairs and looked around at everyone. Her eyes landed on Tyler and Josh, and she immediately grew confused. She looked between the two of them, trying to figure out who was truly who.

“Do you not recognize your own dad?” Tyler laughed, stepping forward and scooping her into his arms.

She immediately broke out into giggles once she recognized Tyler. Your son walked over and tugged on the end of your shirt.

“Is it time to trick-or-treat yet?” he asked, sticking his bottom lip out as far as he could.

“Soon,” you said, ruffling his hair a bit. “Why don’t you guys go get your pillowcases?”

“Ok,” he smiled, running back up the stairs.

Your other kids, with the exception of your youngest daughter, saw what he was doing and followed after him. Your daughter was still trying to figure out what was going on with Tyler and Josh.

“Are you guys ready for this?” you smiled.

“We handle four kids every day of the year, Halloween is no different,” Tyler smiled.

“I’m more worried about all the sugar they’re going to have,” you laughed.

“That’s why I’m here,” Josh chimed in. “I’ll wear them out.”

“I’m glad. We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

Your children returned, all carrying their decorated pillowcases.

“Can we go now?” your younger son asked.

“Please?” your daughter chimed in.

“Alright, everyone get a buddy and an adult,” you said.

Your sons immediately latched onto Josh, grabbing each of his hands. Tyler was still preoccupied with your youngest daughter, which meant that your older daughter paired up with you. Once everyone had someone to hold onto, you made your way out the door.

“I’m so excited,” your younger son exclaimed as he jumped along the pavement.

“I’m going to get so much candy,” your older son chimed in.

“Do you remember what to say?” Tyler asked.

“Trick or treat!” all the kids yelled together.

“Sounds like you guys are ready,” Josh laughed.

“Are you kidding?” your daughter laughed. “I’ve been preparing for this all year.”

 

The seven of you spent the next couple hours roaming the neighborhood, stopping at as many houses as you could. You, Josh, and Tyler would wait on the sidewalk while the four kids went up to the door and collected their candy. They would always come back and announce what kind of candy they had received this time around.

Tyler and Josh would get stopped from time to time by fans, leaving you to try and watch four hyper children who wanted to move on to the next house. Their costume did end up being quite a hit, though.

You eventually returned to the house when the kids began to complain about being cold and their feet hurting. The four of them gathered in the living room and dumped out all their candy, sorting it by type and flavor. Once everyone was done, they began to trade with one another. You, Tyler, and Josh took a seat on the couch and watched it all unfold.

Tyler reached over and grabbed your hand, lacing his fingers in between yours. You leaned your head onto his shoulder as you looked at all your kids getting along for once.

“Uncle Josh!” your oldest son called.

“Yeah?”

“Do you want a piece of candy?”

“Definitely,” he smiled.

Your son picked out a piece of candy and tossed it to Josh, who gracefully caught it.

“Why don’t Mom and I get candy?” Tyler asked.

“Because Uncle Josh is cooler,” he explained.

“Sounds about right,” Tyler sighed.

The kids continued to trade until they were all happy with what they had in their piles. They sat and played for awhile until they started to grow tired. Slowly, they each began to join you on the couch. Your oldest son took the spot between Tyler and Josh, your older daughter sat on Josh’s far side, your other son sat next to you, and your youngest daughter crawled into Tyler’s lap.

“Should we watch The Nightmare Before Christmas?” Tyler asked, already grabbing the TV remote.

The idea was popular with all the kids, so Tyler turned the movie on. It wasn’t long before all of them started to fall asleep, finally coming down from the sugar high and realizing how exhausted they were from the night. Even you were starting to nod off on Tyler’s shoulder.

“I’d say this was a successful Halloween,” Tyler smiled.

“I’d have to agree,” you mumbled.

“Now to get through the rest of the holidays.”


	21. Tea Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff!

“Alright, come on Y/S/N,” you cooed, pulling your son out of his crib.

He gurgled as you cradled him in your arms. You could just make out the sound of Tyler talking with your daughter in the next room over, so you decided to investigate.

Tyler and your daughter were sitting on the floor in a circle with a variety of her stuffed toys. She was wearing one of her favorite princess dresses and had somehow convinced Tyler to wear a purple feather boa and plastic tiara. He had a small cup in his hands, which he took the occasional sip from.

“What’s going on in here?” you asked, taking a couple steps into the room.

“A tea party!” she smiled happily as she poured a cup of “tea” for her stuffed elephant. “Would you like to join?”

“Of course. Can your brother join too?”

She looked at Y/S/N and narrowed her eyes, as if determining if he was worthy of attending her prestigious tea party. After a moment of contemplation, she nodded and grabbed a pillow for you to sit on.

“You’re underdressed,” Tyler smiled, setting his cup down for a moment.

“I see that,” you laughed. “You know, I like this look. Maybe you and Josh should do boas onstage for the next tour.”

Your daughter gasped upon seeing Tyler’s tea cup sitting on the ground, “Did you run out of tea, Dad?”

“I did!”

She shook her head sadly, “I’ll get you some once I get Mom and Y/S/N’s outfits ready.”

“Ok, sounds good.”

Your daughter dug around in her dresser until she managed to find another boa, a party hat, and her mouse ears from Disneyland.

“I have outfits!” she smiled proudly, setting her finds down on the floor in front of you. “What would you like to wear, Mama?”

“What do you think will look best?” you asked.

She looked over her choices carefully before helping you put on the boa and mouse ears, which were a bit small for you. Once she was content with how you looked, you helped her to put the party hat on her younger brother.

“He looks so nice!” she jumped up and down happily. “Now to get everyone some tea.”

Your son played happily with your boa while your daughter poured some “tea” for everyone. She had just sat down, ready to enjoy the party with everyone, when your son’s attention became directed towards his hat. He pulled it off his head and dropped it onto the ground.

“Dad,” your daughter whined. “Y/S/N took off his hat!”

“Well, he’s a baby, sweetheart.”

“But dad,” she groaned. “It’s ruining the party!”

“We can still have a nice party even if your brother isn’t wearing his hat,” you chimed in.

“No. He wears the hat or he leaves.”

You and Tyler shared a look. There was no changing your daughter’s mind on this and there definitely wasn’t a way for you to get your son to wear his hat.

“Alright, I’ll take your brother out of here,” you said, removing your boa and mouse ears.

“No, Mama! You need to stay.”

“And leave your brother on his own?”

“Yes!” she said, throwing her hands into the air with exasperation.

“I can’t do that, but if you would like to come watch TV in the den with us, you can do that.”

She stomped across the room to her bed and flopped down onto it, tiara and all. You sighed and rocked your son in your arms, thankful that he wasn’t adding to the commotion that your daughter was causing.

“I’ll handle this,” Tyler mouthed at you.

“Thank you,” you smiled, taking advantage of your daughter being distracted to remove your costume and leave the room.

You walked into the den and took a seat on the couch. Your son was still gurgling happy and looking around the room with wide eyes. He was growing so fast, it was hard for you to believe sometimes. Soon he would be walking around and talking just like your daughter.

It was twenty minutes before Tyler and your daughter walked into the room, hand in hand. Your daughter’s eyes were a bit puffy from crying and Tyler looked exasperated, but they looked happy nonetheless. She walked over and took a seat next to you on the couch, wrapping her arms around your free one.

“What did we agree you were going to tell your brother?”

“I’m sorry for getting mad about your hat, Y/S/N,” she sighed.

He simply gurgled and kicked his feet.

“Thank you,” Tyler smiled, rubbing her back.

“Mama,” she mumbled.

“Yes, dear?”

“Can I sit in your lap while we watch TV?”

“Sure thing, just let me give your brother to Dad.”

Tyler happily took Y/S/N from your arms and began to bounce him around. Your daughter climbed into your lap and made herself comfortable.

“What should we watch today?” Tyler asked, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV.

“Disney!” your daughter cheered happily.

Tyler, with lots of input from your daughter, found a good Disney movie for the three of you to watch. She wasn’t in your lap too long after the movie started, instead she decided that she wanted to act everything out along with the characters.

“How did we get so lucky?” Tyler asked, looking over to you.

“I ask myself the same question every day,” you smiled, reaching out and taking hold of his hand.

“You know, I’ve been doing some thinking…”

“Oh no,” you whispered.

“What if we had a third kid?” he smiled, raising his eyebrows in question.

You sighed, “You really want a third kid after everything that happened in the last half an hour?”

“Yeah,” he smiled.

“I’ll think about it,” you said, giving his hand a squeeze.

“Mama!” your daughter called. “Come dance with me.”

“Alright,” you said, pushing yourself off the couch and getting up to join her.

 

“I’m so tired,” you mumbled, crawling into bed and pulling the covers up over you.

“Me too,” Tyler mumbled as he brushed his teeth.

Your son had put up a fight when going to bed, bawling relentlessly every time you tried to leave him in his crib. After walking him around the house for close to two hours while also having your daughter demand attention, he finally fell asleep. Once she realized her brother was going to bed, she calmly went to her own room and went to bed.

Tyler’s question had been at the back of your mind all day. Having a third kid had definitely crossed your mind before, and your son was getting old enough that you would be able to manage him and a pregnancy at the same time.

Tyler shut off the bathroom light and slid into bed next to you. He wrapped his arms around you and pulled himself close to you. His bare skin was radiating heat against your arm.

“I look forward to this moment every day,” he said, burying his head in the crook of your neck.

“I do too,” you said, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. He hummed in satisfaction as he wound himself a bit tighter around you. “Um, so I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier.”

“About a third kid?”

“Yeah. I think I’d like that.”

Tyler turned so that he could look at you, “You want to have another kid?”

“Yeah, I do,” you beamed.

He shifted himself so that he could place a hand on the side of your face and pull you into a kiss.

“Should we get started now?” he smirked, moving his hand from your cheek to your hip.

“No,” you giggled. “I’m too tired, I’ll fall asleep halfway through.”

“I don’t blame you.” He moved so that he was laying next to you again. “Today was a lot.”

“Hey, you’re the one that wants to add another kid to the mix.”

“Just because today was a lot doesn’t mean that I didn’t love every second that I got to spend with my kids. And you, of course.”

“I enjoyed spending time with you too, but now I’m going to bed because I’m exhausted. Not to mention that Y/S/N will probably wake me up at three in the morning again.”

“Good idea.”

You shifted onto your side and made yourself comfortable. Tyler moved so that he was pressed up behind you, wrapping an arm around your waist.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too.”


	22. Overwhelmed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey :) I’ve just been having a rough time and I was wondering if you would write something where the reader gets kind of overwhelmed but josh or Tyler help?

“ _Deep breaths_ ,” you reminded yourself.

Buildings flew by outside the window of the car, leaving you just enough time to read the signs that hung above their doors. A few pedestrians on the street watched your car as it passed, although they couldn’t see you looking back from inside. The tinted glass prevented that.

“I always forget how much I love the city,” Tyler said. He was looking out his own window.

“It’s nice,” you answered.

Your hand found its way to the switch that controlled the window. It wiggled ever so slightly without moving the window itself, which proved nice to fidget with. You had never been one for sitting too still.

“Are you looking forward to the awards show?” you asked. The silence of the car had grown tiring.

“You know me, never been a big fan of awards shows,” he sighed.

“I don’t blame you.”

“It is nice to see you all dressed up though.”

You looked over to Tyler. His mouth was curved up into a partial smile as he held out a hand. You reached over and held it, rubbing circles onto his thumb.

“Thanks, Ty.”

“We should be there in about three minutes,” the driver said, interrupting the moment that you two had been having.

“Is my tie straight?” he asked.

You reached over with your free hand, adjusting it slightly, “There.”

“Thanks,” he smiled.

“How do I look?”

“Flawless.”

You turned away from Tyler to hide the blush on your cheeks. He squeezed your hand.

“I’m going to drop you guys right in front of the venue. They said there’s a lot of paparazzi, so be ready for pictures as soon as you step out of the car.”

“Ok, thank you,” Tyler answered.

You tapped your fingers against your knee to release the tension that seemed to be continuously building up. It would just be twenty minutes of pictures and interviews and then you would be out of the spotlight for most of the night. Tyler would be next to you the entire time. It was going to be fine.

At least, you hoped it would be.

“Here we are,” the driver said.

“Thanks again,” Tyler said as he opened the door.

“Yeah, thank you so much,” you added.

Tyler grabbed your hand more tightly and helped you out of the car. Camera flashes surrounded you as you followed him towards the building. People were calling his name from all sides. He said something over his shoulder, but you couldn’t make out what he was saying over the noise.

You finally made it inside. The noise calmed down significantly and the camera flashes were more contained. Your heart was pounding, but you took a deep breath and moved closer to Tyler, wrapping yourself around his arm. He reached over and rested his free hand on top of yours.

“You doing ok so far?”

“Yep,” you answered, forcing a smile. “How about you?”

“I’m managing. I think we need to go this way,” he said, leading you through the crowd of people.

You glanced around the room at all the other celebrities, allowing Tyler to guide you with his hand. Despite the fact that you had been dating Tyler for a number of years now, you still felt so out of place in these scenarios. After all, the only reason you were even slightly famous was due to the fact that your husband and best friend were super popular in the music scene.

“Are we taking pictures?” you asked, hoping that he could hear you over the crowd.

“Yeah, you alright with that?”

“Yep,” you answered. This, of course, was followed with a muttered, “It’s not like I have a choice.”

You could feel your breathing getting shallow before you were even standing in front of the cameras. Each flash caused your shoulders to tense for a brief moment before they relaxed again. Tyler was so focused on everything else that he didn’t notice how anxious you were.

“Ready?” Tyler turned back to you for a moment, a smile on his face.

You really wished that Josh hadn’t been busy today so that he could have come instead of you.

“Yeah,” you returned his grin.

He led you out in front of the cameras and wrapped his arm around your waist. You rested a hand on his shoulder and looked out into the sea of photographers, wearing your best smile.

Things were fine for about thirty seconds. Then the panic began to set in. Your grip on Tyler’s shoulder grew tighter with each pounding beat of your heart. It was getting increasingly difficult to keep a calm expression on your face and you could feel yourself becoming lightheaded.

“Tyler,” you said quietly.

He didn’t hear you. The adrenaline was really beginning to kick in and you needed to get out of there. Fast.

You leaned over so that you could whisper into his ear, “I need to get out of here now.”

Tyler wasted no time once he realized that something was seriously wrong. He waved to the cameras and immediately walked away from all the flashing lights, ignoring the calls of his name as he left. You closed your eyes and began to steady your breathing, allowing Tyler to guide you to a much quieter area.

“Hey, we’re out of there. You can open your eyes.”

You opened your eyes just long enough to see Tyler in front of you. He was holding onto your arms, but you were so full of adrenaline that you hardly felt them. The room was spinning, so you quickly shut your eyes again and took a deep breath.

“You’re ok. Let’s get you grounded, alright? Can you name some stuff that you feel or hear?”

“Yeah,” you answered, letting out a shaky breath. “I hear your voice. Your hands are on my arms. There’s a wall behind me.”

“Ok, good. How’s your breathing?”

“Too fast.”

“Alright, can you try to match my breathing?”

You nodded and slowly opened your eyes, fixating them on only Tyler. Movement at the edge of your vision tempted you, but you knew it would only stress you out further. A small smile tugged at the corner of Tyler’s lips.

“Ok, breathe in.”

You studied Tyler’s face as you breathed in, taking every little detail that you could find. The occasional freckle on his face, the way his eyelashes curled, and the stubble that was just visible on his chin.

“Breathe out.”

You reached up for Tyler’s arm, pulling it down so that you could lace his fingers with your own. He rubbed circles on the back of your hand as he looked at you, his eyes never leaving your own. Your breathing began to slow back down and your heart was no longer pounding in your chest.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

“Better,” you said quietly, nodding your head slowly as you did so.

“Do you want to stay here for a little while longer?”

“Please.”

Tyler slowly pulled you towards him so that he could fully wrap his arms around you. You leaned your head onto his shoulder, careful not to smudge the makeup that the artist had spent so long on. The extra adrenaline still sent the occasional shiver down your spine, but Tyler had helped calm you down significantly.

“Thanks, Ty,” you murmured into his shoulder.

“For what?”

“Helping me. I don’t know very many people that would drop everything to calm me down during an anxiety attack, much less during an awards show.”

“Of course I’m going to drop everything. The most important thing to me is your safety and well-being. If that means that you need to be away from a situation, I’m going to get you away from that situation.”

“I know, and that’s why I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He turned and pressed a kiss to your temple. You took a deep breath and stepped away from Tyler.

“I’m ready,” you said.

“You sure?”

You reached out and grabbed his hand lightly squeezing it, “Yes.”

He pulled you into his side, wrapping an arm protectively around your waist, “Let me know if you need to get out of there again, ok?”

“I will, and that’s a promise.”

Tyler smiled and together the two of you walked back into the crowd of people.


	23. Insecure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can i just request a very fluffy Tyler or Josh or even reader is dating one of them and friends with the other? maybe one is concerned and talks to the other, they both become concerned cause reader just isn’t her self. just something where the reader feels just off and in a bad spot with everything and ignoring everyone (depression wise). maybe where everything is just hitting. Tyler or Josh or both just help her.

**Your POV  
**

“Hey, babe,” Tyler said, bending over the back of the couch so that he could press a kiss to your temple. “Are you going to be ready to leave in about ten minutes?”

“For what?” you asked, shifting slightly so that you could look up at him.

“We’re getting drinks with Josh, remember?”

“Right,” you mumbled. You had forgotten about the plans that the three of you had made. “I think I’m going to skip tonight, I feel kinda sick.”

“Are you sure? I know Josh was looking forward to seeing you.”

You refrained from rolling your eyes. Although Tyler loved you, he did have the tendency to make you feel bad about skipping out on plans every now and again. He only did it when he knew you were making excuses, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.

“Don’t guilt me, Ty. You two just go out and have fun,” you huffed before turning back and pulling the blanket up around your neck.

“Alright,” he rubbed your arm a bit and then walked off.

You hated to do this to Tyler. He was obviously worried about you, but every time that you tried to tell him how you were feeling you just couldn’t get the words out. All you wanted to do was lay in bed and hide away from the world, but he insisted that you at least lay on the couch so that he could be near you while he worked. It always got him off your case for a little while.

If only you could snap your fingers and make all of the doubt and hurt go away.

 

**Tyler’s POV**

“I don’t know what to do, Josh. Y/N hasn’t been herself lately. She spends most days on the couch, alternating between watching TV and taking naps. Her typical bubbly personality hasn’t shown itself for days, instead she just gives short answers and partial smiles. Every time I ask her if everything is ok, she brushes it off and says she’s fine.”

“Have you tried just spending some time with her? She might open up more then,” he shrugged.

“I mean, I’ve managed to get her out of bed and to the couch so that she’s at least near me when I’m working.”

“No, Ty. Like have you really spent time with her? Just the two of you sitting on the couch and cuddling, enjoying each other’s company?”

“I’ve tried, but she just ignores me and watches TV.”

“Taking the time out of your day to sit with her, even if you aren’t cuddling or anything, may mean more to her than you realize.”

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck, “You’re right. I’ve been going about this whole thing the wrong way.”

“How long has she been like this?”

“A few days, maybe. She made a comment about feeling overwhelmed the other day and she just hasn’t really been the same since.”

“Ok, I have an idea,” Josh said, folding his hands on the table. “You and I are both worried about her, so why don’t we get out of here, pick up some fast food on the way home, and make sure Y/N knows how loved she is?”

I nodded along as Josh explained his idea, “I think that would be good. Man, I shouldn’t have left in the first place.”

 

**Your POV**

You had been staring at the ceiling so long that you were starting to see patterns. Negative thoughts were slowly making their way through your mind and you were powerless to stop them. It seemed like you had tried everything to distract yourself, but every time you ended up where you were right now.

Sometimes you wondered if Tyler even loved you anymore. Maybe that’s why you had been subconsciously pushing him away. When he did inevitably end things, there would be less of a sting.

The door suddenly burst open, revealing Tyler and Josh with a multitude of brown paper bags in their arms. You shifted slightly so that you could better see what was going on. Tyler hadn’t texted saying that he was bringing Josh over.

“Hey, Y/N,” Josh smiled as he walked into the living room and took a seat.

“We brought some food,” Tyler explained, setting the bags on the coffee table.

The two of them began to pull out all the food and set it out on the table. You were pretty sure there was more food than the three of you could humanly eat.

“What about drinks?” you asked. “You two were barely gone for half an hour.”

“We decided to bail and spend time with you instead,” Tyler smiled, lightly patting your calf.

“Really?” your eyebrows furrowed.

“Yeah, hanging out just isn’t the same without you,” Josh chimed in.

A smile tugged at the corner of your lips, but it was quickly wiped away as insecurities took over again. You reached out and grabbed some food and the drink that Tyler had ordered for you.

“Is there a reason you guys bought this much food?” you asked, hoping to keep the conversation off your mental state.

“I wanted to make sure that we had plenty of options and I ended up going a bit overboard,” Tyler explained.

“And I had no idea how much food Ty was buying, so I ended up going overboard too,” Josh chimed in with a laugh.

“I can’t complain,” you smiled.

You mostly sat quietly while Josh and Tyler talked about random things. It ended up being a pretty good distraction from your thoughts, which you were thankful for. They eventually ended up sat on either side of you and deemed it a “band sandwich”.

“So, how have you been lately, Y/N?”

You should have seen it coming. There was no way Tyler and Josh would have gone out to lunch together without you being mentioned. All it meant was that they cared about you, but you wished that you could just hide away from the world until you started to feel better.

“I’m fine,” you shrugged. “Just felt a little off lately.”

You could feel both of them looking at you as if their stares were burning into the sides of your head, yet you refused to look at either of them. They saw straight through your lie and with both of them here you knew there was no way you could get out of talking.

“Fine,” you sighed. “I’ve been struggling. I know that I’ve pushed the two of you away and I’m not taking care of myself. It just seems like all I’ve been able to do lately is sit around and get stuck in my head. I want to break the cycle, but it just feels impossible.”

“You know that we want to help you, right?” Tyler asked, taking hold of your hand.

“Yeah. It’s just, um, this is going to sound really dumb when I say it out loud.”

Josh took hold of your other hand, “Y/N, you know that all three of us have said plenty of dumb things before.”

“Um, ok. I guess sometimes I just feel like you guys don’t actually like me all that much. I want to ask you guys for help, but then I feel like I’m being a bother.”

“You’re never a bother to us,” Josh answered.

Tyler squeezed your hand, “You know that we both care about you and want you to be happy. Asking for help is never going to bother us.”

“I know. I just need reminders every now and again.”

“What’s the best thing for us to do so that we can help you?” Josh asked.

You shrugged, “Spending time with me is always a good one, even if we aren’t saying anything. Company is always nice because then someone is right there if I need them.”

Josh shot Tyler a look, although you weren’t entirely sure why.

“Also just reminding me that you think I’m cool or whatever. It’s dumb, but it helps,” you laughed.

“Well, what do you say we watch a movie or something and just hang out for awhile?” Tyler suggested.

“That would be good,” you smiled.

The three of you ended up watching two movies as you slowly worked your way through all the food that the boys had brought home. There wasn’t a single negative thought that ran through your mind while they were with you, which proved to be a nice break from everything that you had been worried about that morning.

Josh eventually left, taking some of the leftover food with him. You were tired and it was getting late, so you and Tyler decided to head up to bed. It didn’t take you long to get ready since you were already in pajamas.

“How are you feeling?” Tyler called from the bathroom as he finished up washing his face.

“Better,” you answered. “I’m really glad that you and Josh decided to come hang out with me. It helped a lot.”

“I’m glad,” he said, shutting off the bathroom light and joining you in bed. “Listen, I’m really sorry about the way that I’ve been handling this the last few days. I shouldn’t have even left you here alone in the first place and I definitely shouldn’t have guilted you about not going.”

“It’s alright.” You reached out so that you could run a finger along his stubbly face. “I know that you’re only trying to look out for me. You just don’t always have the best way of going about it.”

He smiled, “I just care about so much that knowing you’re in pain ends up hurting me as well. I wish I could take it all away from you and deal with it myself.”

“I would never wish that upon you.”

“You mean so much to me, Y/N.”

“You mean so much to me too, Ty.”

“I’m really going to try and do better about looking out for you. If I’m ever doing something that makes you feel worse or you need me to do something to help, please just let me know. I’ll change what I’m doing immediately.”

“Thank you, that means a lot.”

“Anything for you.”

Tyler leaned forward and kissed you.

“I love you, Ty.”

“I love you too.”

“Now let’s get some sleep.”

The two of you shifted so that you were cuddled up in a more comfortable sleeping position. You closed your eyes and smiled. This was the happiest that you had felt in awhile.


	24. Worth It

****

Your hips swayed to the music as you watched Tyler dart across the stage, singing lyrics in perfect time with the music. One of your friends wrapped their arms around your waist and together the two of you shouted along, not caring how your voices sounded. This was a night that you had been waiting for for months and you were going to make the most of it.

Tyler walked to the front of the stage right as the song was ending. He was looking out over the crowd with the slightest hint of a smile on his face. You wished that you were closer so that you had even the smallest chances of touching him, but one of your friends had caused you to arrive late, leaving you right in the middle of the crowded venue.

As if he could hear your thoughts, Tyler’s eyes locked straight onto yours. You grinned at him and his mouth curled up into a slight smirk as he sang, just subtle enough to avoid ruining his stage persona. For a moment you could have sworn that he stumbled over the words, but you brushed it off as you messing up the words yourself since you were so in shock. He turned and walked towards the back of the stage just as the song ended.

One of your friends started to repeatedly smack your arm, “Did you just-did he…?”

You nodded, your eyes still glued to the spot where Tyler had been standing

“You just made eye contact with Tyler Joseph. Like, a lot of it,” your other friend chimed in.

“I know,” you said, turning to face them. “I can’t believe that happened.”

Your conversation was quickly ended as the entire venue began to scream. Josh stood up behind his drums as the next song began playing. You and your friends joined in on the cheering, although you were still trying to wrap your head around everything that had just happened.

 

“Ok, am I crazy or did Tyler keep looking at me throughout the show?” you asked as everyone began to file out of the tiny venue.

The rest of the show had been absolutely amazing. Your cheeks hurt from smiling and your throat was already beginning to feel sore from screaming lyrics all night. It was, by far, one of the best concerts that you had ever been to in your life.

“He definitely did,” your friend answered.

“Yeah, it was like whenever he had a chance he would sneak a look at you.”

You bit down on your lip, “I shouldn’t be so giddy. It’s not like it meant anything.”

“I don’t know, after all that eye contact I think you two are going to get married,” one of your friends said, reaching over to poke you in the side.

“No way,” you rolled your eyes. “He’s a musician and I’d be surprised if that isn’t something he does every night. I’m just going to be happy about the fact that tonight, that was me.”

The night air was cold as you made your way out of the venue. You wrapped your jacket tighter around you as you made your way down the sidewalk. Since you had arrived later than anticipated, you had to park far away from the venue. The walk to the car wasn’t going to be fun.

The three of you rounded the corner and made your way along the side of the venue. You were all cracking up at a joke that your friend had made, which apparently attracted more attention than you had expected.

“Hey!”

You stopped moving and began to look around for the source of the noise. It had sounded close by, but now that you were looking around you didn’t see anything. Just as you were about to start walking again, you spotted a figure running towards you. There was a fence separating the two of you, and at this point you were beginning to think that was a good thing.

As he got closer, you recognized the tattoos on his forearms. Your heartbeat began to speed up and one of your friends reached over to grip your wrist; they were obviously having the same thoughts as you. The three of you stood frozen in place as you watched him begin to scale the fence.

Security came running after him by the time that he was halfway up the fence. They were yelling at him to get down because it was a safety hazard, but Tyler was on a mission. He paid zero attention to security as he threw a leg over the top of the fence and began to make his way back down. You had no idea what was going on, but you found yourself unable to take your eyes off of whatever was going on.

Tyler landed gracefully on the pavement a few feet in front of you. A group of exasperated security guards were on the other side of the fence, still yelling at Tyler. You expected him to keep running, but he only moved so that he was standing across from you. Your friend’s grip on your wrist had tightened tremendously, but there was so much adrenaline going through you that you barely even noticed.

Tyler was maybe a foot or two away from you, so close that you could touch him. His eyes were looking straight into yours, but he wasn’t saying anything. You were pretty sure you wouldn’t be able to say anything even if you wanted to, your throat felt like it had swelled closed. Your friends weren’t really being much help either, they were just as shocked as you were.

“Sorry,” he finally smiled after a brief moment of struggling to form words.

“For what?” you somehow managed to say, eyebrows knit tightly together.

He reached up and rubbed the back of his head, “I don’t know, if I scared you, I guess. I kind of yelled at you, ran after you, and then climbed a fence to get to you.”

You bit on the corner of your lip, “And why did you do all of that, exactly?”

He smiled one of the most adorable smiles that you had ever seen. His eyes moved to the ground for a moment before they came back up to meet yours, “This is going to sound really dorky.”

“You’re Tyler Joseph, how dorky could it be?”

He reached over and rubbed his shoulder, “Well, I saw you during the show and I thought you were really pretty. I was afraid I wouldn’t get a chance to see you, but then you happened to walk by and I wanted to grab your attention before you were gone forever.”

“ _ You _ wanted to meet  _ me _ ?” you asked.

“Yeah,” he grinned.

“Um, well,” you said, feeling around your pockets for your phone as you grew increasingly flustered, “Let me give you my number.”

Right as you finished giving Tyler your number, two security guards came walking up behind him. He looked over his shoulder and the smile on his face immediately disappeared.

“Tyler, you know you aren’t supposed to leave the venue without security accompanying you.”

“I know,” he sighed. “But it was important.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s important. We need to get you back inside.”

“And we’re going to have a nice long discussion about why you aren’t going to do that again.”

Tyler started to walk off with the security guards, but not without shooting you a wink and mouthing, “Worth it.”

Once he was out of earshot, your friends turned to you and immediately began to shake you around.

“Can you believe that happened?” one of them grinned.

“You just gave Tyler Joseph your number! You might start talking!”

“And he said you were pretty!”

“I know,” you grinned, motioning for them to quiet down. “Am I dreaming?”

One of your friends pinched your arm, causing you to squeal.

“Definitely not dreaming,” you giggled.

They linked their arms with yours and began to parade you down the sidewalk, all while you smiled like an idiot. Just when you thought the night couldn’t get any better, Tyler Joseph shows up and says that he needed to meet you after seeing you in the crowd. It felt like something out of a movie.

Maybe your friend was right: you could end up marrying Tyler Joseph.


	25. There For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the first part of a three part miniseries!

_ Bzzt. Bzzt. _

You rolled over and pulled the cover up further around your head, hoping to help drown out some of the noise.

_ Bzzt. Bzzt. _

Really, who had the nerve to call you at two in the morning? Sure, you had the tendency to stay up late now and again, but that didn’t give anyone the right to call you at any given hour.

_ Bzzt. Bzzt. _

Wait.

_ Bzzt. Bzzt. _

Your hand shot over to your night table so fast that you almost knocked over the bottle of water that you always kept there. You were answering the call before you even had a chance to double check who it was.

“Hello?”

“You’re awake?”

“Of course I am.” He didn’t need to know the truth.

“Normally I would say you should be sleeping, but I can’t tell you how happy I am that you aren’t.”

“What’s going on?”

You heard Tyler clear his throat before speaking, “I was, um, looking at… stuff.”

You already knew exactly where this was going.

“And I came across this interview that, uh, my ex did with a magazine a couple days ago.”

You made a noise to show that you were still listening. 

“She said that she doesn’t want to get back with me and she’s glad that things ended,” he sniffled.

“Oh, Tyler. Do you need me to come over?”

“No, I’ll be ok. Really. But I’d like to see you tomorrow.”

“Ok, I don’t have anything going on.”

“Great. Just come over whenever you want.”

“Will do. And call me if things get bad, ok? Even if I’m asleep.”

“Ok.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

“Get some sleep, Ty.”

“I’ll try.”

You hung up the call and set an alarm for early the next morning. There were a million ideas for cheering Tyler up that were already running through your head, and it was going to take time to do all of them.

 

You arrived at Tyler’s house at eight the next morning, armed with pancake batter, coffee from his favorite café, and your dog. He looked like a bit of a mess with the bags under his eyes, messy hair, and dirty pajamas, but his face still lit up when he saw you.

“Look at all this,” he smiled, bending down to pet Rocket. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“Anything for my best friend,” you smiled.

He opened the door wider, inviting you inside. You let Rocket off of his leash and then made a beeline for the kitchen so that you could start making him breakfast. Tyler walked over and took a seat at the counter.

“You don’t mind if I take over the kitchen, do you?” you asked.

“Not at all if it means you’re making me breakfast,” he smiled.

“Have you eaten yet?”

“Nope. I woke up maybe ten minutes ago. I was about to make coffee, but you got that covered,” he said, holding up the drink you had brought him.

You looked at Tyler sitting on the other side of the counter with his coffee and tired eyes. For a moment, you could almost pretend that you were making breakfast for your boyfriend on a Sunday morning, not your heartbroken best friend on a Wednesday. He must have caught you staring, because he raised an eyebrow at you with a little smirk.

You smiled and shook your head, redirecting your attention back to the pancakes. The feelings for him was nothing new, they had existed since way before his breakup with his ex. For so long you had pushed them aside, telling yourself that he was happy with her and you would find your own person someday. Now you realized that holding on might not have been such a bad idea, after all.

“What kind of pancakes are you making?” Tyler asked.

“Just plain. If you have anything you want to add to the mix, we can do that though.”

“Plain is fine,” he said. “I was just curious. Besides, you make the best pancakes.”

“Thanks,” you smiled.

Tyler fiddled with the edge of his cup, pushing lightly at the little plastic rim. You kept your focus on the pancakes, unwilling to be caught staring at him again.

“So, do you want to talk about last night?” you asked as you flipped a pancake.

“Oh, right,” he sighed.

“We don’t have to if you aren’t comfortable.”

“No, it’s fine,” he said, pushing his messy hair back from his forehead. “It just hurt to see. I thought I was doing better and getting over her, but that just reminded me how much I still miss her.”

“You’re going to move past this,” you said, sliding him a pancake. “And I’m going to be here every step of the way.”

“Thanks,” he smiled. “I really appreciate that.”

The day of the breakup was still so clear in your mind. Tyler had shown up to your house with puffy eyes and splotchy cheeks, saying that he couldn’t be alone. You invited him inside and made cookies for the two of you to share while you binged all of your favorite TV shows. He had ended up falling asleep with his head in your lap as you played with his hair.

It had been like that for close to two months now. You and Tyler would spend most of your time together to keep his mind off of the breakup, making your friendship even closer in the process. He had finally started to seem like he was moving past it. Now this interview had brought you right back to square one again.

“Holy shit, this is fantastic,” Tyler said around a mouthful of food.

“Yeah?” you smiled.

He nodded and stuck his fork into another large piece of pancake. It was nice to see him looking happy. You had spent most of the night alternating between sleeping and being awake, worried about how he was doing.

You watched as he grabbed a little piece of pancake and tossed it towards Rocket, who caught it in his mouth. This caused Tyler to laugh a little bit. He had been wanting to get a dog for as long as you could remember, but hadn’t been able to yet because of touring. There had been countless times where he had asked you to bring Rocket with you when you visited. Of course, you never had an issue with it.

“What’s the plan for the rest of the day?” you asked.

He shrugged, “I cleared all my plans so that I could be with you all day.”

You tried to ignore the way your heart skipped a beat at that. You were friends. That was it.

“I’m sure we can find things to do.”

“Even if we do nothing, it’ll still be fun because I’m with you.”

That familiar smirk made its way onto his face as he took another sip of coffee. This boy was going to be the death of you, you were sure of it.

 

You, Rocket, and Tyler were now all curled up on the couch together, barely able to keep your eyes open after watching so much TV. It had been an eventful day of card games, poking fun at past relationships, and making numerous runs to the mini mart down the street for snacks. Tyler had been pretty upbeat, and there had only been a couple times when you had to cheer him up.

Your head was leaned on Tyler’s shoulder, just barely able to see the TV screen through your mostly closed eyes. You knew you should get home before you were too tired to drive, but you were hesitant to leave the position you were in. It wasn’t every day that you got to snuggle up with the boy you were in love with and not feel weird about it.

Your hands were close together, so close that the tiniest movement of either of your pinkies and your hands would be touching. You weren’t sure if Tyler was awake or not, so you had spent the last twenty minutes keeping your hand completely still for fear of accidentally touching his hand and blowing your cover.

You were debating announcing that you were going to leave when Tyler’s hand moved slightly to touch yours. You brushed it off, assuming he had moved in his sleep, but then he slowly continued to slide his hand under yours. His fingers laced with yours and you desperately hoped that he didn’t notice how clammy you were getting.

Tyler had started rubbing your thumb shortly after he grabbed your hand, and it had taken complete concentration to not start smiling like an idiot. The two of you stayed like that for the next hour until the movie ended. You pretended to be woken up by a loud sound during the credits, and as soon as Tyler realized you were “waking up”, he pulled his hand away from yours.

“What did I miss?” you said, rubbing your eye for added effect.

“Not much,” he said. You noticed that there was color in his cheeks that hadn’t been there before. “They defeated the antagonist and lived happily ever after.”

You nodded, “Sounds exciting.”

“Yeah, it was.”

“I should probably get going before I fall asleep on the way home,” you said, standing up and letting the blanket fall from around your body.

“That’s, uh, yeah. Good idea.”

Tyler walked you over to the front door with Rocket following close behind. He held out his arms and you hugged him tightly.

“I just want to say thank you again for hanging out with me. It was a huge help.”

“Of course. Anything for you, Ty. You’re my best friend.”

He smiled, “Still. You didn’t have to.”

“Whatever.”

Tyler bent down and scratched Rocket’s ears, “And thank you to you too.”

“Alright, are we still on for lunch on Friday?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Call me if you need me, ok?”

“I always do.”

“Later, Ty.”

“Bye.”

You waved at Tyler one final time as you walked down the pathway towards your car. Rocket followed closely behind you. Once you were in your car, you finally let out the little squeal that you were holding in. Things were really looking up.


	26. There For You: Part Two

“She what?”

“She called me! She wants to talk. I can’t believe it, Y/N. Maybe she wants to get back together, do you think?”

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up, Ty. I just don’t want to see you get hurt again. Things have been really good for the last few weeks.”

“I know, I know, you’re right. Still, though, there’s obviously something important she wants to talk about. I’m meeting her for lunch on Saturday.”

“I thought we were getting lunch on Saturday?”

“Oh man, you’re right. Do you mind if we push it back to dinner? You know this is important.”

You could feel your stomach sinking, “I can’t. I’m meeting friends for drinks.”

“Rain check, then? You know I hate to cancel on you, Y/N, but I’m sure you understand.”

You bit down on your lip, “Yeah, a rain check is fine. Just don’t forget about it.”

Tyler laughed, even though you had only half meant it as a joke. As much as you wanted to be excited for him possibly getting back with his ex, you couldn’t find it within you. When he was dating someone, his time immediately become a 70/30 split. Not to mention your feelings had only grown stronger since the hand holding incident.

Maybe you had been reading too much into it. After all, he was going through a breakup and he was probably pretending you were his ex the entire time. It was stupid of you to even get your hopes up in the first place. Even if he did have feelings for you, you didn’t want to be the rebound.

“Alright, I’ll call you after I meet up with her to let you know how it goes.”

“Please do,” you said, trying to sound excited.

“Bye, Y/N.”

“Later, Ty.”

You hung up the call and immediately buried your face into your hands. Just when you thought something was going to happen between you and Tyler, she came in and ruined it all.

All you could do was wait and see what happened.

 

Your stomach had been upset all day. Today was the day that Tyler and his ex were meeting up, and you had spent the entire morning running over every possible outcome. Rocket had sensed your distress and had been following you around, resting his head on you at every moment that he could.

You were anxiously awaiting Tyler’s call so that you would know what happened. No matter what it was, it would be better than worrying about all the possibilities. Today had the potential to be one of the best or one of the worst days of your life.

You practically jumped when your phone began to ring. Tyler’s contact photo was on your screen so you hit the green call button without a second thought.

“Hello?”

“Woah, that was fast,” he laughed. “I’m still walking to my car.”

Walking to his car alone, that was a good sign.

“I was already on my phone. My finger only had to move a couple centimeters,” you lied with a laugh.

“Alright, let me get in my car and then I’ll give you the full rundown.”

“Ok.”

Your hands were shaking as you walked over to the couch and wrapped yourself in a blanket. Rocket came over and laid down next to you, resting half of his body on your legs.

You heard Tyler’s car door slam and his keys jingled as he stuck them in the ignition. Your leg was bouncing to release all the nerves.

“Ok, you ready for this?” he said. You could practically see him smiling. That wasn’t a good sign.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Alright, so I got there way too early so I sat outside and then she got there and, wow, Y/N she looked so pretty.”

Oh yeah, this wasn’t going to end with you being happy.

“And so I gave her a hug and we got inside. We just made small talk while we ordered and then once we got our drinks I asked her what she wanted to talk to me about. Long story short, she said that the split was a mistake and she wanted to get back together, if I was interested. I told her that I thought that was a good idea without trying to seem too eager. But yeah, we’re together again and I couldn’t be happier.”

“That’s fantastic,” you said, trying to keep your voice from cracking. “I’m really happy for you, Ty.”

“I even asked her about the interview and she said that it was just a lie to come across like she was doing ok. Man, the relief I felt when I heard that.”

“Yeah, that’s awesome.”

“Are you ok? You aren’t talking much.”

“Yeah, I’m good. Just speechless because I’m so happy for you.”

“Yeah, I can hardly believe it.”

“Mmm hmm.”

“Ok, I should get home now before people start to think I’m weird for sitting in my car. And I’m sorry again about the cancellation today, but hey, look where I am now!”

“Yeah, I’m beyond happy for you.”

“Ok. I’ll talk to you later. Have fun at drinks tonight.”

“I will. And drive safe.”

“Always do.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

You ended the call and threw your phone into the chair at the opposite side of the room. Tears were already streaming down your face, dripping onto Rocket and the blanket. 

You had put up with Tyler and his ex once, and it had been hell on earth. The amount of time he spent with you dropped significantly, and whenever he did find time all he talked about was her. Sure, you were happy that he was so in love, but you just couldn’t handle that with the way you felt about him.

You hadn’t known what you were getting into last time. The relationship was new and you had no idea how Tyler was going to act. But that wasn’t the case this time, you knew exactly what you were getting into.

And you weren’t sure that you could handle it again.

 

Tyler had called you three times in the last week and each one of them had gone unanswered. You would sit there and watch it ring, wondering if you should answer this time. He would start to get worried if you stopped answering his calls, but still you would let it go to voicemail and text him with some excuse later that day.

You hated what you were doing, but you knew that in the end it was for the best. Tyler was your best friend, you loved him, but you couldn’t keep lying to his face about being happy when you were being torn apart inside.

Your phone started ringing again. It was Tyler, probably calling to tell you about his day. Not wanting to blow him off for a fourth time, you decided that it was time to bite the bullet and answer his call.

“Hello?”

“Hey! You answered!”

“Yeah, sorry, been a busy week,” you lied.

“Have you been doing ok? I mean, obviously you’ve been busy, but you just haven’t seemed like yourself when we’ve talked.”

“I’m just, uh, adjusting to stuff. It’s been rough.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? You know I would be over in an instant.”

“Would you? Because lately it’s seemed to be all about your girlfriend.”

You regretted saying that immediately. Tyler was going to jump into defense mode and if you weren’t careful this would end up as a full blown fight. Then again, maybe subconsciously that’s what you had wanted.

“We got back together a week ago. Sorry if I’ve been a bit excited,” he snapped.

“It’s not just this week, Ty,” you sighed. “It was before the breakup too. It’s like I’m only your best friend when you don’t have a girlfriend to put above me. I’ve been there for you through everything, and I’m not going to allow myself to get thrown to the side after all the time that I’ve sunk into our relationship. It just isn’t fair to me.”

“Y/N, I had no idea-”

“I know you didn’t, Ty. And it’s fine. You’re happy and that’s great. Be happy. I can take care of myself. But when it all comes crashing down, don’t expect me to be there to pick up the pieces again because I just can’t do that to myself.”

“I understand,” he sighed. “I just wish you had told me that earlier. I could have been better.”

“It’s fine. I’ll talk to you later, ok?”

“Ok. I’m sorry.”

You shook your head, “No. You’re not.”

You hung up the call before he could get another word in. You had said everything that you needed to say and you weren’t about to go back on it because Tyler started being apologetic. 

 

_ Bzzt _ .

You really needed to start silencing your phone when you went to bed since people obviously didn’t understand that you weren’t supposed to text people in the middle of the night. Luckily, you were having troubles sleeping so you were awake anyway.

You grabbed your phone from the night table and read the name. It was a text from Tyler, which seemed odd. It had been a month since you blew up at him over the phone, and conversation between you two had been minimal since then. You had gone out to lunch a few times, but it was tense since neither of you really knew what to talk about. 

Your eyes moved to the actual message and you felt your heart practically drop. Five words that could have a million meanings.

_ I’ve made a huge mistake. _


	27. There For You: Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the third and final part of the series!

You grumbled and cleared the notification before throwing it back onto the night table. He had probably done something dumb and now his girlfriend was mad at him. It was a common occurrence, and you weren’t about to sacrifice sleep over it. Tyler was an adult, so he could handle his issues like one.

Tyler had texted you three additional times by the time that you woke up the next morning. You were still half-asleep when you read them, their full meaning not quite sinking in yet.

_ I need to talk to you as soon as possible. _

_ I know I’ve been a huge idiot but this is important. _

_ Call me when you wake up. Please. _

You sighed and tossed your phone down beside you. That would have to wait until later, first you were going to get ready for the day.

 

Your phone sat in front of you, taunting you as you ate your breakfast. You didn’t want to bend to Tyler’s will that easily, but you figured that it must be important if he was messaging you about it. He knew better than to pull a false alarm on you at this point.

You sighed and grabbed your phone with your free hand, not giving yourself a moment to second guess what you were doing. At the end of the day, Tyler was still your best friend and you weren’t going to lose him entirely just because you were mad he was dating someone else instead of you.

He answered after only a couple rings.

“You called,” he sounded relieved.

“You said it was important.”

“It is. Are you free today? I want to talk about this in person.”

“Rocket has an appointment at two, but the two of us can come over afterwards.”

“That’s perfect.”

“Is everything ok?”

“It will be.”

“Alright, I’ll see you later then.”

“Bye.”

You hung up the call, curious as to what was so important that he needed to see you in person. 

 

You opened the car door and Rocket happily jumped out, immediately making a beeline for Tyler’s front door. The joke between the two of you was that Rocket was practically Tyler’s son just as much as he was yours.

“Hey, come here,” you called after him as he began to sniff at some flowers on the far side of Tyler’s yard.

Rocket came up and ran circles around your feet, only adding to your already anxious demeanor. You rolled your shoulders a couple times and reached up to knock on Tyler’s door, your heart already pounding a lot harder than you would like it to be.

You heard Tyler walking around inside and your heart skipped a beat. It had been a couple weeks since the last time you two saw one another. You had gone to lunch together and hardly talked. Neither of you had discussed how you blew up on him and he knew better than to talk about his new relationship. There really wasn’t much else for you two to discuss at that point.

The door knob started to jiggle, causing Rocket to jump around happily. You brushed some hair back from your forehead and stuck your hands deep into your sweatshirt pockets.

“Hey,” Tyler smiled, although it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Hi.”

“Do you want to come inside?”

“Rocket definitely does,” you said, looking down at the golden retriever running around your feet.

“Yeah, he does,” Tyler smiled.

He opened the door wider and you followed Rocket inside. Tyler started to walk towards the kitchen so you fell into step with him. You stopped dead in your tracks as you rounded the corner, fear instantly turning into anger.

A vase full of red carnations, your favorite flower, was sitting on the edge of the counter next to two mugs of steaming hot chocolate. There were a couple bowls full of candy and snacks nearby, right next to a stack of movies.

“What is this?” you groaned. “Did you just need my help surprising your girlfriend?”

Tyler’s eyebrows immediately furrowed, “What makes you think that?”

“You pissed her off, didn’t you? That’s the mistake you made and now you want my help in making her forgive you. I already told you, I’m not letting you pull me into this again. Deal with your own problems.”

You turned and started to walk towards the door, but Tyler caught your arm and stopped you. He gently turned you back to face him.

“That’s not what’s going on at all, Y/N.”

“Then tell me what it is,” you said, already fighting tears. “Because I can’t take this anymore. I tried to be happy for you, Ty, I really did. But I can’t watch you be in love with someone else.”

“This is for you, Y/N.”

You felt your breath catch, “What do you mean?”

He led you back over to the kitchen. Upon closer inspection, you realized that all of it was your favorites: the flowers, the snacks, the movies. It was all the things that Tyler knew you loved.

“Getting back with my ex was a mistake,” he explained. “It was you that I was in love with the whole time, but I was so afraid of ruining what we had that I let myself run back to what I was comfortable with. I thought that it was the right choice, but then I saw how much I hurt you in the process.”

You wiped a fallen tear away, “For real? This isn’t some joke to make me like you again?”

“Not a joke,” he grinned. 

“So what does this mean?”

“It means that I love you, Y/N. I don’t want to lose you,” he reached down and took hold of your hand. “And I knew that telling you alone wouldn’t be enough, so I gathered up all of your favorite things to show you that I really care.”

“I love you too, Tyler.”

“You do?”

“Yeah,” you smiled. “I thought it was obvious.”

He shook his head, “I’m pretty oblivious when it comes to feelings.”

You sniffled, “I noticed.”

He reached forward and wiped another of your tears away with your thumb. You expected him to move his hand away, but instead he left it there. Slowly, he began to pull you towards him. 

“Wait,” you stopped him.

“What?” he whispered.

“You aren’t still dating your ex, are you?”

“No. That’s over.”

“Ok, just making sure.”

He smiled and continued to pull you towards him. Your lips met in the middle and you brought a hand to his chest, grabbing the fabric of his shirt and pulling him closer to you.

He finally pulled away and bit down on his bottom lip, “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to do that.”

“ _ You’ve _ been waiting a long time?” you laughed.

“Ok, maybe not as long as you.”

“You should have kissed me when you held my hand,” you smirked.

“You were awake for that?” he asked, cheeks immediately going bright red.

“The entire time.”

He pulled his hands away from yours and buried his face into them. You grinned and pulled them away.

“It was cute,” you smiled.

“It was dorky.”

“Whatever,” you rolled your eyes. “I appreciated it.”

He smiled and cast his eyes down to his feet, but you tilted his head back up towards you so that you could give him another quick kiss.

“What do you say we watch a movie and eat all these snacks?” you asked.

“I think that sounds like a good plan.”

“And you can hold my hand for real this time,” you laughed.

“I’m never going to live that one down, am I?”

“Never.”

He bent down and pressed a kiss to your cheek, causing you to giggle. The two of you gathered up all of the snacks and carried them into the living room, followed by a very happy looking dog. Rocket was quick to jump on the couch and join all the cuddling and snacking that was going on.

“Are you comfortable?” Tyler asked as he wrapped an arm around you.

You nodded and grabbed a handful of popcorn. He grabbed the remote and hit play on the first movie that the two of you had decided to watch together.

 

You stood up from the couch for a moment so that you could make yourself some more hot chocolate. To your surprise, Tyler got up and followed you, wrapping his arms around you from behind as you filled the mug with more milk and carried it over to the microwave.

“What are you doing?” you giggled as you started it.

“I just wanted to be near you,” he answered, pressing a kiss to your cheek.

“We’ve been cuddled up on the couch together for almost two hours.”

“I know, but I just feel like there’s so much lost time to make up for,” he said, resting his head on your shoulder. “I swear I’m not this cuddly all the time.”

You reached up and scratched his head, “It’s alright, love. I understand.”

Tyler hummed in contentment, “I like when you call me love.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I can’t believe the prettiest person in the world loves me.”

You grabbed your milk from the microwave and walked back towards the counter, which was a bit awkward with Tyler wrapped around you. It was weird to finally see this side of him after being his friend for so long.

“You’re going to have to let go of me eventually,” you laughed as you stirred your hot chocolate.

“Never,” he mumbled into your shoulder.

You eventually made him unwrap his arms as you walked back over to the couch, only to immediately snuggle up to him once you sat back down. He wrapped his arms around you, holding you close to him.

“Can you promise me something, Y/N?”

“Maybe.”

“Never let me lose you, alright?”

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that.”

He smiled and pressed a quick kiss to your lips.

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” you said, running your fingers lightly along his arm. “And I’m always going to be there for you.”


	28. First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This goes along with the same story line from Vows & Worth It!

You stared down at your phone sitting on the coffee table as you nervously picked at your jeans. Tyler was supposed to be getting here at any moment and you were anxiously awaiting the text telling you that he was downstairs.

Your phone buzzed and you nearly jumped off the couch. You reached for it and scanned the message, but it only turned out to be one of your friends. The pit in your stomach immediately disappeared as you typed out a response.

 ** _Y/F/N:_** _Excited for today?_

 **_Y/N:_ ** _Are you kidding? I’ve been waiting for this date for months!_

Just as you were about to lock your phone and toss it back onto the table, another text appeared at the top of your screen.

 **_Tyler:_ ** _I’m outside! I just hope I got the building right…_

You bit down on your lip to keep from smiling too much and got off the couch. All of the stuff you needed was already sitting by the door, ready for you to grab and head straight downstairs. You took the stairs down two at a time, unwilling to wait for the slow elevator.

Tyler was standing outside the door, facing the street. His hands were buried deep in the pockets of his jeans.

“You haven’t been here long, have you?” you asked as you stepped out the door.

He turned to face you, a smile already appearing on his face.

“Longer than I’d like to admit,” he laughed, holding out his arms. “How have you been? I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”

“I’ve been good!” you said as he pulled you into a hug. “I’m excited to see you though.”

“Tell me about it. I’ve been counting down the days until I had a break to finally take you on this date.”

“Speaking of this date, are you going to tell me where we’re going now?” you asked as he let go of you.

Tyler had been super secretive about where he was taking you on this date and it was killing you. He would give you hints every now and again, but you had still yet to piece together where you were going.

“You’ll see,” he grinned, taking hold of your hand and leading you down the sidewalk.

“Will you at least tell me how far away we have to walk?”

“Just to the car right now.”

You groaned, but it was impossible to keep the smile off of your face. It really didn’t matter where he was taking you; you were just happy to finally be spending time with Tyler.

You immediately checked the backseat for clues as soon as you hopped into the passenger seat of the car.

“Did you really think I was going to leave an obvious clue in the backseat?” Tyler laughed as he shut his door.

“I can hope,” you smiled as you turned to him.

He started the car and pulled away from the curb. You tapped your fingers against your legs and tried to think of something interesting to ask him about.

“How long of a drive is it?” you asked.

“Not long,” he answered, his eyes never leaving the road. You sighed and began to pick at your jeans, hoping that it would help take the edge off. Tyler reached over and placed a hand on your knee, “You’re going to have fun, Y/N. Just relax.”

You laughed nervously, “Sorry, I always get nervous about stuff like this. When you add in the fact that you’re Tyler Joseph, it just makes me that much more nervous.”

He smiled at that. “Trust me, I’m just as nervous as you.”

That was hard for you to believe, but you decided there was no point in causing a debate about it. You took a deep breath and just tried to live in the moment. After all, it wasn’t every day that you got to go on a date with a musician that you had admired for months.

Tyler pulled into a small parking lot about fifteen minutes after you left your apartment building. The two of you had spent most of the drive discussing things that you had yet to learn about one another: your favorite bands, hobbies you had, and any other random facts you could think of. It helped you keep your mind off of where Tyler was taking you.

“Is this it?” you asked as Tyler shut off the car.

“This is it.”

You got out of the car and began to look around. Something about the area seemed familiar, although you couldn’t quite put your finger on it. Tyler had walked around to the back of the car and was beginning to open the trunk. A picnic basket and blanket were shoved in the back among various pieces of music equipment.

“I knew I should have checked the trunk,” you laughed.

Tyler smiled and handed you the picnic basket, “I was hoping the mess would deter you from doing that.”

“I guess it worked.”

“Alright, it’s just a little bit more of a walk.”

You fell into step with Tyler as he started down a nearby path. Sun was shining down between the leaves, casting shadows across the cement. It was a nice day and you were glad that you had the opportunity to spend it with Tyler.

The path eventually opened up to a large clearing. Dozens of other people were walking around, either enjoying the sunshine or spending time with their families. There were even a few dogs running around as their owners threw a ball around for them.

“Where do you want to sit?” Tyler asked.

“I don’t know,” you answered, unable to keep the smile off of your face. “This is beautiful, Tyler.”

He was also smiling when you turned to look at him. “Here, let’s go sit under that tree. That way we’ll have some shade.”

You helped Tyler set up the blanket before sitting down. He took the picnic basket from you and began to lay out all the food he had brought, which just so happened to be most of your favorites.

“So this is why you kept asking me what foods I liked last week,” you smiled.

“Yeah, I’m not the best at being sneaky,” he said as he pulled out drinks. “I really hope that you like the whole picnic idea. I know it isn’t the most traditional first date.”

“No, this is perfect! It’s way better than dinner and a movie. How did you find this place, anyway?”

“I looked up the prettiest parks in this area,” Tyler laughed.

You shook your head, “Of course you did.”

“Hey, I’m not from around here. How was I supposed to know what parks looked the best?”

“Alright, you have a point.”

“Honestly, I can hardly believe that we’re on this date right now. When I saw you in the crowd for the first time, there was no way I thought I would be having a picnic in a park with you two months later. I just thought you were this gorgeous girl in the crowd that I would never have a chance to see again.”

You knew you were probably blushing profusely, but you didn’t care if Tyler saw. Just the thought of him thinking you were pretty was enough to make you giddy.

“If someone had told me before I walked into that venue that you would ask for my number by the end of the night, I would have told them that they were insane.”

“And after jumping a fence, no less.”

You began to giggle as you remembered what had happened that night. It was a rare occurrence that you told someone that story without them thinking that it was some kind of joke.

“That was crazy.”

Tyler was looking at you with a smile on his face. It seemed a bit odd, so you raised an eyebrow at him.

“Sorry,” he said, casting his gaze down towards the blanket. “You just have one of the prettiest laughs that I’ve ever heard.”

You rolled your eyes, “I beg to differ, but thank you.”

“Honestly!” he said, meeting your eyes once again. “It makes me want to keep telling jokes so that you’ll laugh again.”

This, of course, caused you to giggle again. Tyler smiled and tossed a grape into the air, only for it to hit his nose and bounce onto the blanket. You could hardly believe that this was your life and not some crazy dream that you would wake up from at any moment. It felt too good to be true.

 

“Was that date worth the two month wait?” Tyler asked as he pulled up to the curb in front of your building.

The sun was just beginning to set over the city. The two of you had sat in the park for hours, talking about life and any other topic that you could think of. It was easily one of the best first dates that you had ever been on.

“Definitely. Now I’m just sad that I’ll have to wait another couple months for the next one.”

“So you’re admitting that you want to go on another date?” Tyler grinned.

“Well, I guess, only if you want to,” you stammered, suddenly losing any ounce of confidence you had gained over the course of the date.

“Of course I want to.”

You let out a sigh of relief, causing Tyler to laugh. “Is this goodbye for now?”

“Nah, I’ll walk you to the building,” he said as he shut off the car.

You hopped out onto the sidewalk and waited for Tyler to join you. His hands were dug deep in his pockets as he walked you to your door.

“Now it’s goodbye for now?” you giggled, hoping to mask the disappointment in your tone.

“It is, but first I was hoping that I could get a goodnight kiss?”

Your heart immediately began to pound in your chest. “Um, yeah,” you grinned.

Tyler reached forward and placed a hand on the side of your face. It was hard not to giggle nervously as he looked at you and slowly moved closer. You closed your eyes and allowed his hand to guide you towards him. His lips met yours and suddenly it was like you were the only two people on the sidewalk. Nothing else around you mattered.

“Woah,” you said when he finally pulled away.

He grinned, “Yeah.”

“Could I, maybe, get one more of those?” you said, pulling him towards you again.

He gave you one more kiss before finally letting go of you.

“You just keep making it harder for me to leave,” he smiled.

“And you’re making it harder for me to let you leave.”

“I’ll be back before you know it,” he said, starting to walk backwards.

“I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you too.”

“I’ll be in touch.”

“You better!” you called as he got into his car.

He started the engine and waved to you through the passenger window. You smiled and waved back, even though he was more focused on pulling out into the road. Once his car was finally out of sight, you turned and walked back into your building.

The wait had definitely been worth it.


	29. New Year's Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little fluffy Tyler fic to end out the year with! I hope you all have a wonderful last day of 2018 (or first day of 2019, for those of you in later timezones). I hope you guys enjoy this one! 💛

“What time is it?” you mumbled from your place against Tyler’s chest.

“Eleven.”

“Eleven?” you groaned. “That means there’s still an hour until midnight.”

Tyler laughed and pressed a kiss to your forehead, “Yes, love. That’s how time works.”

“I want to go to bed.”

He brushed a hand through your hair, “It’s New Year’s Eve. That’s not allowed.”

You sighed and buried your face further into his chest. Even though you and Tyler had done nothing but lounge around the house all day, you were still tired and ready to curl up in bed with him.

“Fine,” you mumbled.

Tyler started to shift, but you merely whined and wrapped yourself tighter around him.

“Love,” he laughed lightly. “I just want to be able to look at you.”

You slowly rolled off of Tyler and pushed yourself into a sitting position. He was sitting cross-legged in front of you with the slightest hint of a smile on his face. His hair was still messy from the nap that you two had taken earlier that day, so you reached out and fixed a couple strands.

“Why did you want to look at me?” you asked.

“I just like looking at you,” he said as his smile grew even wider. “I’m glad that I got to spend this year with you.”

“I’m glad that I got to spend this year with you too.”

He smiled and rested a hand on your knee. You leaned forward and gently pressed your lips to his. It only took a few seconds for him to start smiling, only causing you to start giggling.

“Sorry,” he muttered as you pulled away. “You still make me nervous.”

“Shouldn’t it be the other way around?” you raised an eyebrow at him.

He shook his head, “I don’t think so.”

Tyler took hold of your hands and laced his fingers through yours. His smile slowly faded as he stared down at the plain fabric of the couch.

“Are you alright, love?” you asked.

His eyes locked to yours as if he had just been pulled from a daydream, “Yeah. I’m just thinking about everything that happened this year.”

“It was a big year for us,” you smiled. “A new album, shooting music videos, the tour...”

“The engagement,” Tyler said, his dorky smile once again returning.

“Of course, how could I forget?”

You looked down at the ring on your finger. Tyler had proposed while you were in Iceland to shoot the first of the music videos. It had come as a total surprise, despite the fact that you and Tyler had been discussing marriage for quite some time.

“I think that’s my favorite moment from this year.”

“Mine too,” you said, leaning forward to give him another quick kiss.

“This year would have been a lot different without you.”

“I can’t even imagine not having you in my life this year,” you sighed.

Tyler gave your hands a light squeeze, “Now I’m going to be in your life every year.”

“I don’t have a problem with that.”

 

“What time is it?” you called from the kitchen.

“11:59! Get in here!” Tyler answered.

You quickly dried off the mug that you had been cleaning and ran into the living room. Tyler had set up a clock on the TV so that you could countdown the exact number of seconds until the new year started. He wrapped an arm around your shoulder as you stood next to him.

“This feels weird,” you said as the seconds ticked down.

“It’s kind of a weird tradition, if you think about it.”

“Yeah.”

You both went quiet then, too mesmerized by the clock to say much else.

“This is it,” Tyler said when there were five seconds left.

“Goodbye, 2018,” you added.

Tyler pulled you into a kiss as soon as the clock hit midnight. You wrapped your arms around him and held him as close to you as you humanly could. It still amazed you every day that you were with someone as wonderful as Tyler. He finally ended the kiss and pressed his forehead to yours. Outside, you could hear people yelling in the streets and banging pots and pans together.

“Happy New Year,” you whispered.

“Happy New Year.”

“Now do we get to go to bed?” you grinned.

“If you want.”

“Yes!”

You quickly slid out of Tyler’s arms and ran upstairs. He stayed behind to double check that all the lights were off and the doors and windows were locked.

“I’m surprised you’re not asleep already,” Tyler laughed as he shuffled into the bedroom.

You smiled over the pile of blankets that was on top of you, “I was waiting for you.”

“I’ll be there in a second.”

You kicked your feet absentmindedly as you waited for Tyler to get ready for bed. It couldn’t have been more than five minutes before he was sliding under the covers with you, prompting you to immediately curl up into his side.

“What a good start to 2019,” you smiled.

“I agree.”

“I love you, Ty.”

“I love you too,” he said before pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “Thanks for sticking with me throughout this year.”

“I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

“Now you should get some rest. We have a big year ahead of us.”

“Same goes for you.”

You turned so that you could give Tyler one final, proper kiss. It wasn’t the best of kisses since both of you were half asleep, but you didn’t mind. 

By the time that you had finally made yourself comfortable on Tyler’s chest, he was already beginning to snore lightly. You were in pretty much the same position; as soon as your eyes closed, you were already beginning to drift off.

You couldn’t have asked for a better end to the year.


	30. I Could Use a Love Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I dropped what I was doing when I saw your post about requests. Could I maybe see a Tyler x Reader where the reader is having a really bad day and all of her usual methods to feel better aren’t working, so Tyler jumps in with something maybe unconventional to help out? I was listening to I Could Use A Love Song by Maren Morris when thinking about this, if that helps! Thanks :)

You drummed your fingers along your collarbone as you stared up at the ceiling. Your chest was rising and falling steadily as you carefully measured your breaths, hoping that it would somehow wipe away the cloud that seemed to be hanging over your mind. It had been twenty minutes of this same pattern and you had yet to feel any different.

“That’s it,” you muttered as you pushed yourself up from the couch. “I’m going on a drive.”

Your keys were still sitting in a jumbled heap from where you had tossed them down after arriving home from running errands yesterday. You quickly scooped them up, grabbed a jacket from the hall closet, and walked out the front door.

There was frost on the window as you climbed into the car, only adding another layer to the frustration that you were feeling. Still, you stuck the key in the ignition and turned the air on full blast, hoping that it wouldn’t be long before you could actually see out the windshield.

While the window defrosted, you scrolled through your phone and found some music that might help you feel a little better. You eventually settled on a song that you and Tyler always sang together; it never failed to bring up good memories when you listened to it. The window was finally beginning to clear up, so you pulled out of the driveway and out onto the street. Hopefully Tyler would be home by the time that you returned.

You absentmindedly drummed your fingers along the steering wheel as you drove through the streets of Columbus. The beauty of the city never failed to amaze you, despite the fact that you and Tyler had been living here for close to five years now. Going on the same drive through the city streets never seemed to get old.

Unfortunately, driving didn’t have the same appeal today. The music just seemed like dull background noise as you looked at the same buildings that you drove past almost daily. There was nothing particularly special about this drive that you were on, and you were beginning to wonder why this had ever worked as a way to cheer you up in the first place. 

With a sigh, you pulled into a nearby parking lot and turned around. There was no point in wasting gas if it wasn’t going to help you feel any better, right?

You pulled into the driveway and shut the car off. There had to be some other way for you to cheer yourself up; at this point, you were willing to try anything that would cheer you up for even a few minutes. It didn’t help that Tyler had still yet to get home from his meetings, meaning that you would still be stuck trying to cheer yourself up.

You tossed your jacket back into the closet and immediately headed upstairs. There was only one more thing that you could think of that might finally get you out of this slump. If that didn’t work, then you would have to accept your bad mood and wait for it to go away. That, or hopefully Tyler would be home soon with some ideas to make you feel better.

You grabbed the basket of bath bombs from under the sink while the tub filled with warm water. Tyler was always sure to keep plenty of bath soaks and scented candles in the bathroom for you to use whenever you needed them. He knew that it was one of the few things that always seemed you calm you down or cheer you up, especially when he was away on tour and unable to physically be there for you.

You decided on a fruity scented one and tossed it unceremoniously into the tub. It began to fizzle and spread colors throughout the water. You stood frozen for a moment, mesmerized by the patterns, until you realized that the water needed to be shut off before the entire tub overflowed.

The water was warm as you stepped into it, but not too hot that it was unbearable. Your muscles instantly began to relax as they became submerged, and for a moment you forgot about all the thoughts that had been swirling in your head all morning. It wasn’t long before they all came rushing back, once again plaguing your mind.

You ended up spending close to half an hour soaking in the tub, just listening to music and scrolling casually through your phone. The water eventually started to grow cold and you decided it was long past time you get out of the bath. It had been nice to soak in the warm water for awhile, although your mood didn’t seem to have improved at all.

As soon as you dried off, you pulled on one of Tyler’s shirts and headed downstairs. You had just reached the bottom of the stairs when you heard someone unlocking the front door. Panic washed over you for a moment before you realized it was probably only Tyler arriving home from his meetings.

The door swung open, revealing Tyler carrying a multitude of bags on his arms. You quickly rushed over and took some of them from him, which he seemed thankful for.

“Hey,” he smiled.

“What’s all this?” you asked.

He shook his head, “Merch prototypes, paperwork, concert stuff to review. You name it, it’s probably in here.”

You followed Tyler into the office where he began to stack all of the bags into the corner. 

“But the meetings were good?” you asked as you handed him a bag.

“Yeah, we got a lot of stuff done. You know me, though. I would have rather spent the morning here with you.”

He turned around and gave you a quick kiss. A smile crossed your face for a moment, but it was quick to fade away. Tyler didn’t seem to notice.

“How has your morning been?” he asked as he walked out of the office. You followed him.

“Um, it’s been ok, I guess.”

Tyler stopped walking and turned to face you. His eyebrows were furrowed.

“You know I don’t believe that for a second.”

You sighed. There was no way Tyler would let you just brush this entire situation off.

“My morning has been awful, and it seems like no matter what I try to do to feel better, I always end up in the same spot.”

“You tried your favorite movie?”

“Yeah.”

“And you went on a drive?”

“Uh huh.”

“Did you take a bath?”

“Ty, trust me, I tried everything.”

He sighed and rubbed a hand along the back of his neck, “There has to be something we can do to help you feel better. Do you want me to grab my uke?”

“I don’t think it’s going to help,” you shrugged. “Nothing else has worked.”

“Then we’ll find a way to make it work.”

“We really don’t have to. I can just ride this out. I’m sure I’ll feel better tomorrow.”

“Absolutely not,” Tyler said, taking hold of your hand. “I don’t want to see you spend the rest of today miserable.”

You allowed Tyler to pull you towards the music room, as reluctant about this entire plan as you were. He sat you down in a chair and then crossed the room to grab his ukulele from its spot. Just being with Tyler had already made you feel a little better, but you were still far from feeling ok.

“Alright, we need to make this special,” Tyler muttered, more to himself than anything.

He was wandering around the room, obviously lost in thought as he tuned his ukulele. You watched him as you absentmindedly swayed from side to side in the chair. 

“I’ve got it,” he smiled after a few minutes of contemplation. “Come on.”

You sighed as you got out of the chair and followed Tyler back into the living room. He stopped right in the middle of the room.

“What are we doing?” you asked.

“Put your hands on my shoulders.”

“What?”

“Put your hands on my shoulders. You know, like when we slow dance.”

“Why?”

“It’s all part of the plan.”

“Ok,” you said, although you still weren’t really sure what was going on.

Tyler began to strum on his ukulele and you instantly recognized the opening chords of the song. It was the song that had been playing when you first met and, coincidentally, one of your favorite songs. Tyler began to sway a little as he played his uke, prompting you to do the same.

It was hard not to laugh as you thought of how dorky the two of you must look from an outside perspective. Tyler noticed this, but he just continued to play the song with a smile on his face. You began to loosen up a little and sway a bit more.

“There’s that smile that I love,” Tyler said once he finished the song.

“Who knew that slow dancing in the living room would be so effective?”

“Me,” he grinned before giving you another kiss. “Do you want me to play another song?”

“I would love that.”

 

“Ty!” you laughed as he went jumping over the back of the couch.

“What?” he grinned as he landed somewhat gracefully.

“Be careful!”

“Sorry, I just got really into it,” he laughed.

You and Tyler had spent the last two hours singing and dancing to any song that you could think of. The worries that had plagued your mind throughout the morning were long gone, now replaced with song lyrics and watching Tyler’s stunts in the living room.

“We should probably make dinner soon,” you said with a glance at the clock. “I’m getting hungry… and tired.”

Tyler stuck out his bottom lip, “Can I play you one more song?”

“One more,” you said, although you would willingly listen to him play music for as long as he would let you.

“Ok, come over here and sit.”

You took a seat on the couch across from Tyler.

“I don’t know if this really qualifies as a love song, but I still want to play it for you,” he said.

You sat and listened intently as Tyler played Build Me Up Buttercup for you. It was impossible to keep the smile off of your face as he smiled like an idiot throughout the entire performance. He bit his lip as he played the final chord and looked up at you.

“I love you, buttercup,” he smiled.

“I love you too, darling,” you giggled.

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to your lips. You should have known that Tyler would be able to cheer you up in an instant, no matter how bad you had been feeling.

“Let me go put this away and then we can start dinner,” he said.

“Ok.”

“So, are you feeling any better?” Tyler asked as he returned from putting his uke away.

“Much better, thanks to you,” you smiled.

“That’s what I like to hear,” he said.

You stood up and joined Tyler in the kitchen. He immediately wrapped an arm around you and pulled you into his side as some form of a hug.

“Thank you so much, Ty.”

“I would do anything just to see you smile.”

You leaned against his shoulder and smiled, wondering how you had gotten lucky enough to find someone who loved you so much.


	31. Better For You

****

You pulled into Tyler’s driveway and shut the car off. The music slowly faded out as you pulled the key out of the ignition and grabbed your phone from where it had haphazardly been tossed onto the passenger seat. There was a message on the screen that hadn’t been there when you left.

**_Josh:_ ** _ Something came up and I had to bail on hanging out today. You going to be ok without me? _

You sighed and leaned back against the seat. Since Josh had bailed, you would be stuck third wheeling with Tyler and his girlfriend. It was no secret that she had it out for you because of your close relationship with Tyler, and it definitely didn’t help that you had basically been in love with him since you met.

**_Y/N:_ ** _ Yeah, I’ll be ok. Sad that you can’t come though :( _

You locked your phone and stuck it in your back pocket. As much as you wanted to get back in the car and drive straight back home, you knew Tyler would be upset if you bailed too. Maybe his girlfriend wouldn’t be so bad today.

“Coming!” Tyler called shortly after you knocked on the door.

You took a moment to adjust your shirt as you waited for him to get the door. Your heart was already starting to pound in your chest.

“Hey,” he smiled as he opened the door. “How are you?”

“Good,” you smiled as he pulled you into a hug. “How about you?”

“Great! I’ve just been enjoying the time off from tour and spending time with family and friends.”

He let go of you and walked back towards the living room. His girlfriend was sitting on the couch as you walked in, looking over something on her phone. She looked up and smiled at you.

“Y/N! It feels like forever since I’ve seen you.”

“Yeah, it has,” you returned her smile and held back the sarcastic comment that was threatening to slip out.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she turned towards Tyler, “Where’s Josh?”

“He had to bail,” Tyler explained as he took a seat next to her. “His brother needed help with something, I think.”

She nodded and scooted closer to Tyler so that she could wrap herself around one of his arms. You sat down on the other couch and tried to make yourself as comfortable as possible.

“Do you know if Josh is going to show up later?” you asked.

Tyler’s girlfriend shot you a look, “What, are we not good enough for you?”

“No, that’s not… I was just curious,” you muttered.

She shook her head and began to laugh, “I was only joking with you.”

Tyler turned to her and smiled, obviously amused by her so-called “joke”. You knew better than to fall for it, though. It was her way of slowly chipping away at your relationship with Tyler.

“I have no idea,” Tyler said. “He didn’t really say.”

“Ok,” you said, forcing a smile for his sake.

“Actually that reminds me,” Tyler said, pulling himself away from his girlfriend’s grasp. “I have to go send an email real quick. I’ll be back in a couple minutes.”

You watched Tyler as he walked out of the room, leaving you alone with his girlfriend. She turned to you and immediately wiped the smile from her face.

“Tyler was talking about you the other night.”

“What?” you said, unable to ignore the way your heart had started pounding in your chest again.

“Yeah, he was talking about how annoying you are,” she explained. She tried to make a sympathetic expression, but it didn’t seem genuine. “I guess you were going on about this movie that you saw the other day and he was bored out of his mind.”

You opened your mouth to say something, but quickly closed it again. You didn’t want to believe her, but for some reason you just couldn’t get her words out of your head. Maybe your relationship with Tyler wasn’t as close as you thought it was. It wasn’t the first time she had said something like this to you.

“Oh,” you finally managed to mutter.

“I’m sorry, I just thought you would like to know.”

You slowly shook your head, “It isn’t your fault.”

Tyler walked back in the room and you automatically turned to look at him. There was a bad feeling in the pit of your stomach, but you pushed it aside and put some semblance of a smile on your face.

“Are you alright, Y/N?” Tyler asked as he sat back down on the couch. One of his arms autonomously wrapped around his girlfriend’s waist, pulling her into his side. “Your face is kinda pale.”

Your eyes shifted from Tyler to his girlfriend. She gave you a sweet smile and raised her eyebrows.

“Yeah, I’m good,” you said. “Must be the light or something.”

His girlfriend gave you another sympathetic look, but you just ignored her and stared off at the wall. Tyler seemed genuinely concerned, but he didn’t press the matter any further. 

You spent most of day trying to ignore how affectionate Tyler and his girlfriend were being and counting down the minutes until you had stayed at Tyler’s house for a socially acceptable amount of time. As soon as the clock hit 6:30, you stood up and announced that you had to go.

“Already?” Tyler asked.

“Yeah, I need to get some rest before work tomorrow and the cats will need to be fed.”

“It was nice seeing you,” he said, standing up so that he could give you another hug.

His girlfriend simply waved as you walked towards the front door. Tyler was nice enough to walk with you.

“Hey, I think Josh and I were thinking about getting together for dinner tomorrow night. Would you be down?”

“Just the three of us?” you asked, already getting excited at the prospect of dinner with just the boys.

“Well, she would probably come too,” Tyler said, gesturing over his shoulder.

You smile immediately faded as the sinking feeling returned to your stomach, “I’ll think about it.”

“I’d like if you came.”

“Yeah,” you said before quickly turning on your heel and walking towards your car.

 

“I don’t know if I can keep doing this,” you sighed as you rolled onto your back. “I just don’t understand how somebody as sweet as Tyler can date someone like her! She’s so… evil.”

“She isn’t evil,” Josh said. His voice was slightly muffled over the phone. “Are you sure this isn’t just you being biased because of your feelings for him?”

“Trust me, Josh. She’s always tearing me down behind everyone’s backs or claiming that Tyler was talking bad about me. It’s like she’s trying to make me insecure in my relationship with him.”

“Have you tried talking to Tyler about it?”

“How could I? He’s just going to take her side.”

“You never know until you try.”

You sighed, “Maybe.”

“Are you going to come to dinner tomorrow?”

“Probably not. I just need some space from them for awhile.”

“Alright.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, Y/N. You’re doing what’s best for you and that’s what matters.”

“You’re right.”

“Ok, I need to go do some practicing for a while. Are you going to be ok?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

“Call me if you need me, ok?”

“I will.”

“Bye.”

You ended the call and tossed your phone down next to you. A little time for yourself would be good to help you forget about all the nasty comments that Tyler’s girlfriend had made towards you. Then maybe you would feel confident enough to bring the entire situation up to Tyler.

 

“A little time for yourself” ended up being two weeks of blowing off Tyler every time he called you to make plans. It hadn’t been your original intention, but not having to worry about his girlfriend had been too peaceful to so readily give up. You had even seen Josh a couple times, so it wasn’t like you were becoming a total recluse.

Your phone began to vibrate against your leg, so you picked it up to see who it was. Tyler’s contact photo was shining on your screen. You answered the call and brought the phone to your ear.

“Hello?”

“Hey.”

“What’s up?”

“I was just calling to see if you wanted to come over in a little while. I think Josh and my girlfriend are coming over.”

You sighed, “I don’t know. I’m kinda feeling like just staying at home today.”

“Alright, what’s the deal?”

You were a bit taken aback by his sudden change of tone, “What do you mean?”

“I haven’t seen you in like two weeks because every time I try to plan something you find some reason not to go. I know you have work and whatnot, but I also know that you’ve been deliberately blowing me off. I want to know why.”

“It doesn’t matter. I just have personal stuff going on.”

“Come on, Y/N. I know you better than that.”

You took a deep breath as you decided if you really wanted to get into this whole debate with him. Josh’s voice echoed in your head as you tried to think of some excuse to tell him.

“It’s because of your girlfriend, alright? She’s terrible to me.”

“My girlfriend?” Tyler asked. The disbelief in his voice was evident.

“Yeah, she-,” you started, but Tyler cut you off.

“Alright, this is obviously a bigger issue than I thought. Can I come over? I don’t want to have this discussion over the phone.”

You could hear him grabbing his car keys in the background.

“Yeah, you can come over. Just so long as you’re alone.”

“Of course I would come alone.”

You started to say something, but stopped yourself at the last moment. There was no need to add more fuel to the fire.

“Alright, see you in a few.”

“Bye.”

You tossed your phone down and ran a hand through your hair. This conversation wasn’t going to end well, you could practically feel it.

You were already standing by the door by the time that Tyler knocked. There wasn’t a single hint of a smile on his face as you silently invited him inside. He walked straight towards the living room and began to pace along the length of the couch.

“So what is all this about my girlfriend being terrible to you?”

You flexed your hand a bit to deal with the nerves, “She’s always taking little digs at me or telling me things that you’ve said behind my back.”

He looked taken aback, “And what have I said behind your back?”

“That I’m annoying, I talk too much, everything I say is boring, to name a few.”

“I’ve never said any of that. Are you sure you understood what she was saying?”

“Yes,” you said. “Just the other week she said you were complaining because I was talking too much about that new movie that came out.”

“What? I loved hearing you talk about that movie. You were so excited.”

“That’s what I’m saying! She’s lying to me to make me feel insecure.”

“Why would she do that?” Tyler asked. His eyebrows were furrowed.

“I don’t know, probably to secure her place with you and make sure that she remains your top priority. She sees me as a threat and so she’ll do whatever is necessary to make sure I don’t take her place.”

“And why would she see you as a threat?”

“Because I’m in l-,” you caught yourself at the last moment. “Because I’m your best friend and that can be threatening to some people in relationships.”

Tyler shook his head, “This just doesn’t make any sense. We’re just friends, so there’s no need for her to think you’re a threat.”

His words felt like a stab to the chest, but you did your best to brush it aside and focus on the matter at hand.

“Regardless of her reasoning, she’s always saying awful things to me and it makes her hard to be around. I want to spend time with you, Ty, but right now the things she says are too much for me to overcome.”

He took a deep breath, “I’m still not entirely convinced that she’s actually saying these things to you. It doesn’t make any sense.”

“You don’t believe me?”

He finally stopped pacing and turned to face you, “Not really, no.”

Tyler, your best friend, was choosing his girlfriend over you. It felt like some sort of sick joke, especially after everything the two of you had been through together.

“I thought I meant more than that to you.”

“And I thought you wouldn’t lie to me about stuff my girlfriend is saying to make yourself look better.”

“What? I never said that!”

“That’s really what’s happening here, Y/N. You’re just being selfish and making up lies to bring down the person that I love. Are you sure that you’re not the one trying to secure your place in all of this?”

You shook your head, “I would never do that. I thought our relationship was secure enough that you would always care about me.”

“Of course I care!”

“Then act like it!” you said, throwing a hand into the air.

“It would be easier to care if you stopped attacking the people that I care about!”

“You know what? Just leave. You’re obviously not going to listen to me.”

“I’m just trying to understand what’s going on!”

“I said get out of my house,” you said. Your voice was oddly quiet and calm.

“Fine.”

You waited until Tyler left the room to bury your face in your hands. Once you finally heard the front door open and close, you stood up and grabbed a pillow. It landed with a thud on the other side of the room.

“I can’t believe I really thought I was in love with him,” you muttered.

 

It had been a few days since your fight with Tyler, and not much had changed. Neither of you had contacted one another and you were beginning to think this could be the end of your friendship.

Josh had been over at your house whenever he could, just to make sure that you were taking care of yourself. He gave you the occasional update on Tyler, but he refused to share too much with you. You knew that he was still holding out hope that you and Tyler would somehow magically make up and become friends again. This entire situation was just as hard for him as it was for you.

You grabbed the last plate from the dishwasher and stuck it in the cupboard with all the rest. Doing chores and organizing had been one of the ways that you had been keeping your mind busy over the last few days when Josh wasn’t with you. If nothing else, it helped you feel like you still had a little bit of control over your life.

Your phone started to buzz on the kitchen counter, so you quickly wiped your hands off and answered the call without looking.

“Hello?”

“Hey.” You recognized Tyler’s voice instantly. “I’m outside and I know you don’t usually answer the door when people knock.”

“Ok, I’ll be there in a second.”

You ended the call and stuck your phone in your back pocket as you headed towards the door. Sure enough, Tyler was standing outside with a small bouquet of flowers in one hand.

“What’s going on?” you asked, leaning over a bit so that you could see if anyone else was with him.

“I’m here to apologize. You know I’m not very good at that, so I brought some flowers to maybe help my case a little bit,” he said, reaching up to rub at the back of his head.

“So, do you want to come in?” you asked, still not entirely convinced by this apology.

“Please.”

You opened the door wider so that he could come in. He passed you the flowers as he came inside and put his shoes next to the door. With the flowers in hand, you walked towards the kitchen so that you could find a nice vase to put them in.

“I talked to my girlfriend,” he said. You noticed that he was nervously playing with his jacket’s zipper.

“Yeah?”

“She finally admitted that she had said all those things to you. As soon as I heard that, I ended things with her.”

You leaned back against the counter and crossed your arms, “So you believe me now?”

“Yes, and I’m so so sorry that I ever doubted you in the first place. You were just saying things that I didn’t want to hear so I was projecting it all back onto you, which wasn’t fair. I should have never said what I did.”

“Thank you for apologizing. You should know that I would never intentionally try to ruin one of your relationships. All I want is for you to be happy,” you shrugged.

“I know, and I should have remembered that when you brought up your concerns with her.”

“You should have.”

“Do you think that you might be able to forgive me?” he half-smiled.

You sighed, “I think that it will take some time to regain some of the trust that I’ve lost, but you’re important to me and I’m not willing to throw away our relationship because you had a girlfriend who tried to come between us.”

Tyler smiled, “I’m glad to hear that.”

You walked around the counter so that you could give him a hug. He held onto you tightly. It was hard to deny the relief you felt at knowing that things between you and Tyler were going to be ok.

“There’s one more thing that she mentioned,” Tyler said.

You walked to where you had previously been leaned against the counter.

“What’s that?”

“She said that part of the reason she felt so threatened was because she could tell that you were in love with me.”

You had no idea how to even respond to a statement like that, so you settled for gripping the countertop and staring wide-eyed at Tyler.

“What made her think that?” you asked.

“Something about the way you acted around me, I guess. She really didn’t go into much detail.”

“What a weird thing for her to think,” you laughed nervously.

“I don’t think it’s that odd,” he shrugged. “Especially considering she could tell that I was in love with you too.”

You blinked rapidly as your brain tried to process all the information that was being shot at it. His ex had known that you were in love with him the whole time. And known that Tyler felt the same. You suddenly began to feel a lot more sympathy towards her.

“Wait, did I hear that right?” you asked, just to make sure this wasn’t all some elaborate scheme.

“Which part?”

“The last bit. You’re in love with me?”

“Yeah, you heard that right.”

“I don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I don’t think I really realized that’s what it was. For so long, I thought that you were just my best friend and that was that. Then, when the whole fight happened and I thought that I had lost you entirely, I realized that the feeling ran a lot deeper than friendship.”

You smiled at the ground, still not fully processing everything that you were hearing. By the time that you looked back up, Tyler was standing in front of you.

“I really am so sorry and I want to make it up to you.”

You reached up and brushed a couple strands of hair back from his forehead, “You’re forgiven, but what I said earlier still stands. Just because you’re in love with me doesn’t mean that you suddenly get my trust back.”

“I think that’s fair.”

He pulled you into another hug and you wrapped your arms tightly around him, holding him as close to you as you possibly could. It was weird to think that just yesterday you had been wondering if you and Tyler would remain friends. Now you were here, standing in the middle of your kitchen after admitting that both of you were in love with one another.

You should have known that things would work out in the end.


	32. Raindrops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sooo requests are open again huh? Nice! I'd like to request a Tyler x reader one where they are best friends but they also like eachother and they get on a fight and like they're outside and it's raining and idk they kiss in the rain... i know it's cliche but i can't help myself! Ok take care and take your time writing this

You stood in the middle of the living room, watching as dozens of faces you didn’t recognize wandered around the unfamiliar room. Tyler had disappeared a long time ago, but you were starting to grow tired and impatient with the half-sober people around you, so you decided it was long past time you seek him out.

It wasn’t like you had wanted to go to this party, but Tyler insisted because it had been awhile since you two actually went out to a big social event. You, never one to give up time spent with Tyler, had said yes almost instantly. The decision was one you had come to regret.

Rain pounded on the windows as you walked down a hallway, searching for where Tyler could possibly be. The house wasn’t that large and the bad weather had forced everyone inside, leaving you barely enough room to stand without bumping elbows with someone. It made seeking out a particular individual--in your case, Tyler--especially hard.

You eventually heard his voice carrying from another room. Normally you would have walked straight in, announced that you wanted to leave, and called it good. Only this time, the mention of your name caught your attention, leaving you frozen in place just outside the room that the group was in.

“Y/N?” you heard Tyler say. “Are we a couple?”

You felt your heart rate jump at the mention of you two being a couple. It wasn’t a new concept, people had been speculating that you two were “a thing” for just about as long as you had been friends. Your relationship had never been anything more than friends, though, no matter how badly you may have wanted it to be.

“No,” he laughed, easily brushing the question off. “We’re just friends. You guys know that.”

Your heart sank a bit at his answer, although you hadn’t really expected anything different. Tyler wasn’t one to confess his feelings to a big group, especially at a party with drunk people who would go around repeating anything they heard.

“Would you ever consider it?”

You took a deep breath to calm the sudden increase in your heart rate once again. Your feet subconsciously brought you a little closer to the room, eager to hear whatever answer Tyler might give. Just a few inches further and your position would no longer be hidden.

Rather than an answer, Tyler simply broke out into a fit of laughter. A few of the other people in the room joined in, although you couldn’t quite be sure why. Maybe it was simply the alcohol talking.

“No, I would never,” he said once the laughter died down. “Y/N is nothing more than a friend to me.”

You leaned forward a bit more, just to check that it was actually Tyler’s mouth that those words were coming from. Sure enough, he was still laughing a bit as he brought his cup--full of only water, neither of you were really big on drinking--to his lips. He must have noticed the movement, because his eyes locked to you in an instant. Suddenly feeling very embarrassed, you turned and began to push your way through the crowd of people.

Your legs were automatically carrying you through the house to the front door. Tyler was the one who had given you a ride, but there was no way you would be getting in a car with him anytime soon. Not after the way he had laughed at the mere idea of you two being anything more than friends.

“Y/N!” Tyler’s voice barely carried over the sound of drunk conversations.

You kept pushing past people, throwing out muttered apologies as you bumped into them harder than you had intended. Your mind was on one thing and one thing only: getting the hell out of there.

“Hey!” he called after you again, but you ignored it. You didn’t even want to look at him right now.

The rain was still pouring down as you stepped outside. With a sigh, you pulled up your hood and started down the driveway. Your socks became soaked in an instant through the thin soles of your shoes, but you didn’t mind as long as it meant putting more distance between you and Tyler.

You could hear the front door opening again before you had even made it to the end of the driveway. Your legs were moving as fast as they could, only serving to splash more water up onto the ends of your jeans. Behind you, you could hear Tyler splashing through puddles as he tried to catch up to you.

“Y/N, please. Can we just talk about this?”

You finally stopped walking and turned to face him. He was standing at the end of the driveway, a solid ten or so feet away from you. His hair had already fallen flat from the rain.

“What is there to talk about?” you shrugged.

“I didn’t mean what I said.”

You watched as he pushed his soaking wet hair back from his face. 

“Then what did you mean? Because it sure as hell sounded like you meant every word that came out of your mouth.”

There was a lump beginning to form in your throat, but you swallowed it and blinked away the tears. Not that Tyler would have been able to tell, there was already enough water on your face.

“I just… I didn’t want to tell those guys how I really felt. There was no way I was going to let them be the first ones to hear it.”

“And how do you feel?”

Tyler slowly began to close the gap between you.

“I think you’re the most amazing person to step foot on this planet. Everything about you is perfect, from your sense of humor to those same dirty shoes that you wear no matter what the occasion is. You give me the strength to keep going, even on my worst days. I don’t know what I would do without you in my life.”

He was only a foot away from you now, so close that you could see the water droplet hanging off the end of his nose. Everything about the way that he was looking at you indicated that what he was saying was genuine.

“Do you really mean that?”

“I promise.”

He held up a pinky, and you couldn’t help a smile at the childish gesture. You reached up and intertwined your pinky with his. The two of you stood there silently for a moment, listening to the rain with your pinkies intertwined.

Tyler finally dropped his pinky back to his side and looked at you, “Is it possible we feel the same?”

You bit down on your lip to keep from smiling too big, “I think that’s very possible.”

Tyler smiled and rested a hand on the side of your face. It was covered in water, but it hardly made a different on your already rain-covered face. He pulled you towards him until your lips met in the middle. Rain dripped from his hair onto your forehead, but it was far from the first thing on your mind.

Tyler finally pulled away, but he kept a hand on the side of your face. You didn’t mind, it was far warmer than the rain that was still pouring down on the two of you.

“Why did you never tell me earlier?” you asked quietly.

“It’s like what everybody says. I was terrified of losing you as a friend by bringing my feelings into the mix, so I just waited until the right moment.”

“And this was the right moment, huh?” you laughed.

He shook his head, “Well, not really, but it did turn out pretty romantic.”

“Yeah, I guess it did.”

He gave you another quick kiss and then pulled his hand away from your face. Water immediately began to run down the spot where his hand had previously been.

“Now what do you say we get out of the rain and back to where it’s warm and dry?”

“I can’t say no to that.”

He grabbed your hand and together the two of you went running through puddles back to the house.


	33. Valentine's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After my very anti-Valentine’s day Tyler post last year, I decided to do the complete opposite this year and do something that’s totally fluffy and sweet. I hope you guys like this one as well

You kicked your shoes off by the door and made a beeline for the couch. As much as you loved going out to nice dinners with Tyler, it never quite beat sitting around at home in your pajamas with him. Of course, with it being Valentine’s Day, Tyler had insisted that you two go get dressed up and actually have a nice meal together among your busy schedule.

“I’m ready for a nap after that,” you said, grabbing a blanket from the end of the couch and pulling it over your body. “I think I drank one too many glasses of wine.”

“You can’t sleep yet.” Tyler walked over and took a seat next to your legs. “I haven’t even given you your gifts yet.”

“Gifts? I thought we weren’t buying each other anything this year.”

“Gifts are still gifts even if they aren’t bought from a store.”

“Alright, let me change into pajamas and then we can give stuff to each other,” you mumbled.

Tyler pressed a gentle kiss to your temple before moving so that you would be able to get off the couch. You headed upstairs and changed into a comfortable pair of shorts and a shirt from the Regional at Best era that Tyler had given to you way back when you first started dating. It felt like a lifetime ago now.

The things that you had made for Tyler were tucked up into a corner of the closet, hidden behind boxes of your snow clothes that rarely got touched. You shoved the box aside, kicking up more dust than you would have liked in the process, and carefully grabbed what you needed. The look on Tyler’s face was going to be absolutely priceless.

You took a seat on the couch and waited for Tyler to return from changing into his own pajamas. While you waited, you decided to turn on some music so that the house wouldn’t be so quiet while the two of you exchanged gifts.

He came down the stairs a couple minutes later, wearing an oversized t-shirt over his favorite pair of sweatpants. You immediately started to laugh as you noticed the bouquet of flowers in his hand.

“What?” he asked, his face falling a little bit. “Is it something I’m wearing?”

“No, not at all,” you smiled. “It’s just this.”

You grabbed the bouquet of flowers that was sitting next to you, which was identical to the one that Tyler was holding in his hand. 

“We bought each other the same flowers?” he laughed.

“I guess we did.”

He took a seat next to you on the couch and gave you a quick kiss, “I guess we just know each other too well.”

You each set your flowers on the coffee table; the couch was too comfortable for either of you to be bothered to put them in a vase right this very second.

“Should I give you my gift first?” you asked, nervously drumming your fingers along your leg.

Tyler smiled, “Sure.”

You grabbed your gift from where you had hidden it last minute under the blanket. Tyler’s eyebrows furrowed as you revealed the book and slowly handed it to him.

“Tyler and Y/N,” he read the letters that you had carefully drawn on the cover. His smile slowly grew as he opened it to the first page, “Is this a scrapbook?”

“Yeah,” you let out a breath of air at his positive reaction. “I’ve been working on it for a couple months now, using whatever time I can get when you’re in the studio or running errands.”

He slowly began to look through the pages, smiling at each one. You had included almost every significant memory that you could think of and made sure to collect mementos from each. There was a picture of you two from the first time you had met at one of their tiny hometown shows right before they got signed next to the ticket stub that you had kept in your wallet up until this moment. Confetti from the first show of the Blurryface era along with a picture Brad had taken right before Tyler and Josh went on stage. Pictures from your wedding day, the first letter you had sent him on tour after you started dating, and countless other things that you had managed to find and incorporate into the book.

Tyler wiped a tear away from his eye and closed the scrapbook. “Y/N, this… I think this is the best gift that I’ve ever gotten.”

You smiled, “Do you really mean that?”

“Of course I do. It’s like a highlight reel of all the best moments of my life. I love it.”

He wrapped an arm around you and pulled you into his side. You leaned your head against his shoulder and squeezed him tightly.

“I don’t know that I’ll be able to live up to this,” he laughed.

“Of course you will,” you reassured him.

He finally let go of you and reached into his pocket. From it, he pulled out a little velvet box. Your heart skipped a beat at the sight of it, despite the fact that the two of you had been married for close to four years now.

“Here,” he said, handing you the box.

You took a moment to study the box before you popped it open. Inside was a small ring, not unlike the wedding ring you already wore, made out of silver. You carefully took it out of the box and began to examine it.

“Does it say something?” you asked, bringing it a little closer to your face.

“Yeah.”

The writing was hard, but not impossible, to read. You took a moment to read it over a few times before saying it out loud.

“For you, I’d go write a slick song just to show you the world.” You paused, “What does that mean?”

Tyler grinned, “One moment.”

He got off the couch and all but ran into the other room. When he returned a few moments later, he had his ukulele in his hands and a dorky grin on his face. You were still confused, but it was hard not to smile as Tyler excitedly adjusted his uke in his arms.

“Ok, I know this isn’t like the final version of the song or anything since it’s acoustic, but I spent all last week finishing this song so that I would have it done for you today.”

“You’re putting a song on the record for me?” you asked.

“You know I had to.”

Tyler hadn’t even started singing and your eyes were beginning to water. He reached out and gave your hand a light squeeze before he strummed the strings once.

“It’s called Smithereens.”

You listened intently as Tyler played the song for you, hanging on to every word that came out of his mouth. It only took the first verse for tears to start consistently falling down your cheeks. As soon as he played the final chord and set his ukulele down, you threw your arms around him and hugged him as tightly as you could.

“Did you like that?” he asked, snaking his arms around your waist.

“I loved it, Ty. It means so much to me that you would write a song about me. Not to mention that you’re actually putting it on the next album.”

“I just want the whole world to know how much I love you, Y/N Joseph.”

“And I love you too, Tyler Joseph.”

Tyler fell back onto the couch, bringing you with him since you two still had your arms wrapped around one another. You laughed and pressed your forehead to his so that you could stare into his brown eyes. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” he whispered before pressing a soft kiss to your lips.

“Here’s to many more.”


	34. Call It Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ohhh, just thought of another one.. how about one where reader sees Tyler is getting married in the newspaper and maybe she tries stop it.. he realizes he loves her after seeing her but it takes him a few days to come to the full realization?

“I can’t do this anymore,” you sighed as you rubbed at your temple. Tears were still streaming down your face, clouding your vision. “I really tried, Tyler. I love you, but I just can’t do this.”

“Y/N, please, we can work something out.”

He reached forward, but his fingertips had barely grazed your arm before you pulled away from his touch.

“Please,” you muttered. Your voice was hardly more than a whisper. “Don’t.”

* * *

Your eyebrows furrowed as you looked down at the gold-lined envelope. There was no return address on the front and it was a rare occurrence that someone sent you a letter. You stuck a thumb under the flap and hastily ripped it open, not caring if the envelope was destroyed in the process.

A small piece of cardstock was inside the envelope, lined in the same gold foil as the envelope. There was a bad feeling in your stomach as you flipped over the card and began to read the writing on it.

“No,” you gasped. “That can’t be right.”

You reached for your phone and immediately dialed your best friend’s number. Tears were already beginning to pool in your eyes and you weren’t so sure that you would actually be able to get words out if your friend picked up.

“What do you want?” he answered.

“Tyler’s getting married,” you blurted.

“Come again?”

“Tyler,” you drew in a shaky breath.

“What about him?”

“He’s getting married.”

“To who?”

“I don’t know. Some girl, I don’t recognize the name.”

“When is it?”

“Um,” you wiped away a fallen tear so that you could read the invitation a little better. “Next Saturday.”

“Next Saturday? And you just got the invitation?”

“I don’t know, Zane, alright?” you huffed. The questions were getting tiring, all you wanted him to do was shut up and listen right now. “I’m just as confused as you are.”

“Y/N, you know you can’t go to that wedding.”

“I have to. I have to see him one last time.”

“No, you don’t. You’re finally moving past the breakup after years. Are you really going to risk all of that healing just to see him one last time?”

“I have to,” you repeated before ending the call.

You picked up the invitation and ran your finger along the edge as tears once again began to cloud your vision. It was supposed to be your name on the invitation next to Tyler’s, not this random girl’s. That had been the plan: finish the tour, get married, start the next album.

Then you had let your emotions get the best of you.

 

You watched as another formally-dressed couple walked behind your car, completely unaware of you sitting frozen in the driver’s seat. The car had been off for close to twenty minutes now, but you had still yet to open the door. Every time you reached for the handle, you hesitated.

Just as you were about to work up the courage to try again, your phone began to ring. Zane was requesting to FaceTime you and you knew exactly what his reasoning was. He wouldn’t be happy if he saw you all dressed up for the wedding. You held a finger over the camera and answered the call.

“Hello?”

You watched as Zane’s eyebrows furrowed, “Why’s the screen black?”

“Is it?” you asked, trying to sound convincing. “Must be poor connection. Why did you call?”

“We both know why I called. And we both know why your camera has ‘poor connection’.”

With a sigh, you flipped the camera around so that Zane could see your face. He shook his head a little once he saw that you were all dressed up and in your car.

“Why are you doing this, Y/N?”

“I already told you. I have to see him one more time. It’s like… closure. Or something. I don’t know.”

“Just be smart about it, ok? I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

“I’ll be smart,” you tried to give him a reassuring smile.

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

You slipped the phone into your pocket and stepped out of the car. On the other side of the parking lot, you could just make out all the wedding guests as they walked into the church. With a small shake of your hands, you took a confident step forward to go and join them.

A few people gave you weird looks as you joined the crowd, mostly extended family members that barely remembered your name or why you had been a part of Tyler’s life in the first place. You settled for giving them shy smiles and finding your way to an emptier part of the room. This wasn’t a social event for you.

You were scanning the room for any sign of Tyler when your eyes landed on another familiar face. Unfortunately, he caught your eye as well and began to make his way through the crowd towards where you were standing. Your stomach began to twist in knots as he grew closer.

“Y/N,” he smiled once he was finally at an acceptable talking distance. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Zack,” you returned his smile. “It’s been awhile.”

“What are you doing here, actually?”

“Attending the wedding.” You wondered why Zack was so confused by your presence. “I got the invitation last week.”

“Right,” he nodded. “Well, I still have some more family to talk to. I just wanted to say hi.”

“Hi,” you said, giving him a little wave.

He smiled tightly at you before turning and walking back into the crowd of people. The way he had interacted with had made your stomach uneasy, but you brushed it aside as nothing. Today was probably almost as stressful for him as it was for you.

You waited until almost everyone had found themselves a seat before you dared to even enter the room. There was no way you would risk running into his parents or another of his siblings at his wedding. Hell, even running into Josh would be enough of a problem. Thankfully, he was easy to spot--and avoid--with his brightly dyed hair.

You took a seat towards the back, far away from the family members that you had once loved almost as much as your own. The people around you were ones you didn’t recognize, most likely Tyler’s childhood friends or other family friends that he felt obligated to invite. It seemed like the type of thing he would do.

Zane had texted you a couple times before and throughout the ceremony, asking how things were going and if you were doing ok. They had gone unanswered, mostly because you were too busy wondering what things would be like if you hadn’t done the things you did. If that was you up there, standing across from him. The one that was causing him to smile and light up the room.

“Your vows,” the officiant said, turning to Tyler.

You watched as he pulled a small, crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. He shook his head a little as he began to read, still unable to keep the goofy grin off of his face. Memories of times that he had written little poems and notes for you danced around your mind and made your eyes brim with tears.

He was reaching the end of the vows, but you couldn’t stand to listen to another second of it. You stood up and walked out into the aisle, ignoring the few people who had turned to look at you as you did so. The sobs were getting harder to stifle now, and all you wanted was to get out of the building. Away from him.

The door creaked as you opened it and you could practically feel the stares boring into the back of your head, but you kept walking straight towards the front door. You just needed to hold everything back until you were in the car; then you could scream and cry and curse the world and yourself for everything that had happened to you.

 

“I’m telling you, there haven’t been any pictures from the wedding.”

“Come on, Zane,” you huffed. “You know I don’t like when you lie about this stuff. The damage is already done, can you just show me the pictures now?”

“I’m not lying to you, Y/N. Look for yourself.”

Zane handed you his phone, which was open to Tyler’s Instagram. Sure enough, the most recent picture was from a couple weeks ago. It was just a random selfie that he had put up with an equally random caption.

“That’s weird,” you said as you handed his phone back to him. “You’d think that after a week, they would have finally posted some photos. Did you check his girlf… wife’s account?”

“What’s her name?”

“I don’t know, but if you scroll down a little she’s tagged in his posts about her.”

Zane scrolled through his phone for a little while, but his face only grew more confused, “Where are these posts about her?”

You sat up and leaned over Zane’s shoulder. He had gone back through at least a year’s worth of posts now, and yet there hadn’t been a single post about her. Without thinking, you yanked his phone out of his hands and began to scroll through his account yourself.

“I know he definitely posted about her on Valentine’s day,” you muttered, more to yourself than Zane. “Why would he delete posts about her?”

“Did something happen at the wedding?”

“Not that I know of. I mean, I only stayed until the end of Tyler’s vows,” you shuddered at the mere thought of it, “but I don’t think they would get that far into the wedding if someone was hesitant.”

“I’m sure it’s not a huge deal,” Zane said as he took his phone back.

“Yeah. You’re right.”

Rain poured down onto your windshield as you drove home from Zane’s house. The wipers were struggling to keep up with the constant stream of water, but they were working just fast enough that you could see the road. You suddenly wished that Zane didn’t live so far from you so that you didn’t have to spend nearly half an hour driving in this awful weather.

Your phone began to ring, making your music cut out. With a sigh, you glanced down at the caller ID to see if it was someone you could ignore so that your music would start playing again. When you saw the picture on the screen, your heart nearly stopped. You immediately pulled off to the side of the road and answered your phone.

“Hello?”

“Y/N?”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“Man,” he let out a sigh of relief. “I thought you would have changed your number by now.”

“Too much work,” you giggled. It surprised you that you were acting so comfortable.

“Right,” he laughed. “Anyway, the reason I’m calling.”

“Yeah?”

“So, I saw you at the wedding and, well, do you mind if we talk? I can come to you, if you want.”

“Uh, yeah,” you said. “I’m on my way home from a friend’s house right now, but I should be home in about twenty minutes.”

“Ok, perfect.”

“Perfect,” you repeated.

“I’ll see you then.”

“Bye.”

The call ended and music once again began to blast in your car. You took a deep breath and pulled back out onto the road, being extra careful to avoid a large puddle that had formed a few feet in front of where you had parked.

There was already another car in your driveway as you arrived home. Your breaths became shakier as you pulled up next to it, knowing that he would be waiting in the car. You didn’t even dare to look over at him as you grabbed your things from the passenger seat and shut off the engine.

The slam of your car door was followed shortly by another one. His footsteps were noisy as he stepped through puddles towards the front door, just a few paces behind you. You fumbled a bit as you went to unlock the door.

“Are you going to acknowledge me?” he laughed.

“Once we’re inside,” you said. “It’s too dark and wet out here.”

You pushed open the front door and tried your best to dry the soles of your shoes before stepping inside. He followed suit and waited in the entryway as you set your things down and pulled off your coat.

“You don’t have to wait here,” you smiled. “You know where you’re going.”

He kicked off his shoes and hung up his jacket before disappearing past the entryway. It was easy for you to forget the reality of your situation as you shuffled towards the kitchen to get yourself something to drink.

“Do you want anything?” you asked.

“Water would be great.”

You filled up two glasses with water and carried them back to the living room. He had already made himself comfortable and put his feet on the coffee table. He smiled as you handed his glass of water to him.

“So, Tyler,” you smiled. “What did you need to talk about?”

“A lot,” he sighed before taking a long sip of water. “Maybe too much.”

You took a seat in the armchair and made yourself comfortable.

“Where do you want to start?”

“I’m not sure. So much has happened since… you know.”

“Then why don’t we start there?”

Tyler visibly swallowed, but he slowly began to nod, “Ok.”

“I hope you know that I didn’t want things to end. I loved you so much. So much. I was just frustrated and exhausted from tour and I needed an escape from all of it. I let my emotions get the best of me and I said what I did and I never quite worked up the courage to tell you I didn’t mean it.”

A smile tugged at the corner of Tyler’s lips, but it was quick to fade.

“I wish you had told me.”

You blinked back a few tears, “There’s a lot of things I wish I had done differently, but hey, I guess it all worked out. I’m working a normal job again. You’re still touring the world and you’re married now.”

“About that…” Tyler averted his eyes back to the ground. “I called the wedding off.”

“What?”

“I saw you when you left during my vows. It was only for a few seconds, but that short amount of time was enough to make my knees weak and my mouth go dry. Nobody else has ever made me feel that strongly before and, in that moment, I knew the wrong person was standing across from me.”

“Really?”

“Well, I knew for a while before then, but actually seeing you there confirmed it for me.”

Your eyebrows furrowed as you looked over at Tyler sitting on the couch. He was still avoiding eye contact with you.

“Are you… saying what I think you’re saying?”

He finally looked at you with that same hint of a smile on his face, “That I’m still hopelessly in love with you? Yeah, I think I am.”

You weren’t entirely sure how to react to his confession. Your brain was a mess of excitement and confusion and a number of other emotions that you couldn’t quite seem to place.

“I… don’t know what to say,” you muttered.

“It’s fine, you don’t have to say anything. Even if you don’t feel the same, I just wanted to let you know how I felt because the last time that I didn’t, it became one of my biggest regrets.”

“No, it’s not that. I just thought you would hate me after how I ended things.”

“Y/N,” he exhaled a little. “I could never hate you.”

Tears were consistently slipping down your cheeks now. There were so many things that you wanted to say and do, but you settled for walking over to the couch and wrapping your arms around Tyler. He lightly rubbed your back while you leaned against his shoulder and tried not to cry too hard.

“I’m so sorry. I love you, Tyler, more than anything else. I should have never let my emotions get the best of me.”

“Hey, everything came together in the end. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

Tyler helped calm you down, all the while pressing soft kisses to the top of your head. You finally stopped crying and explained to him all the emotions you were feeling. He had tears in his eyes too, but he was smiling. 

“You know, I talked to Zack at the wedding. He seemed surprised that I was there,” you sniffled.

“He told me about that. Nobody knew you were coming, actually.”

“What?”

“I dropped the invitation off in your mailbox on a whim in hopes that you would come to the wedding.”

“Why?”

“Like I said, I had to see you one more time and figure out if I was making the right decision.” He brushed some hair back from your forehead. “As it turns out, I wasn’t.”

“We need to stop making decisions while running high on emotions,” you laughed. “It always ends up in some kind of a mess.”

“Yeah,” he smiled. “But it somehow always works out in the end too.”

He pulled you a little closer so that he could give you a kiss. His lips were soft and warm and familiar.

And you were happy.


	35. Trench

You flipped the page of the book that was sitting in front of you, kicking up dust as you did so. Your eyes were beginning to slide in and out of focus from staring at books for so long, but you were determined to get through the last few pages. It would be easier to keep track of that way.

There had to be some clue within the pages. Something that the bishops had accidentally let slip through that would offer some explanation as to where he had gone. He hadn’t just vanished, you knew that much. No. There was no way that he would have left without you.

Right?

You stopped reading at the end of the sentence and scanned the paragraph before it. It quickly became apparent that you hadn’t absorbed any of the information from it, so you zeroed your focus in and read the paragraph again. Even the smallest hint would help you right now. Something to at least give you a starting point.

You closed the book and pushed it away from you. The last few weeks had been spent just like this, sitting in the library for countless hours pouring over records and notes that the bishops allowed residents to have access to. None of them produced anything useful, but at least you felt like you were doing something--anything--to try and find him.

You thought of the last night that you two had spent together. Tyler had insisted you sit out in the courtyard under the stars. You had been hesitant--after all, the bishops didn’t take too kindly to people out after dark--but he had looked so excited that you couldn’t say no. The two of you had laid outside for a couple hours until you grew tired and wanted to go to bed. Tyler had walked you back to your room and given you a gentle kiss.

The next morning, he was gone.

None of the bishops had offered any explanation. In fact, nobody even seemed to notice that Tyler had gone missing. The only difference people saw was within you, but they knew better than to question why you hadn’t been the same. People didn’t really question things like that in Dema.

You took your time putting away all the books that you had looked through today, making sure to mentally categorize them. It seemed no matter how many records you looked through, you were never any closer to discovering the reason behind Tyler’s disappearance.

Or whatever it was.

 

There were still a few rays of sunlight filtering through your window as you returned to your room. You walked over and looked out at the courtyard. A few people were still outside, enjoying the last bit of warmth before night set in. 

Your eyes wandered to where the vase of flowers sat near the wall. They had been alive at one point, but now they sat withered and dead. You had accumulated them over a number of weeks when Tyler would wake you up in the morning, holding a fresh yellow flower in his hand. No matter how often you asked, he would never tell you where he found them growing.

You had never seen yellow flowers in Dema before.

You walked over to your bed and dropped down to your knees so that you could grab the box that you kept hidden beneath it. It was full of letters--mostly love letters--that Tyler had written to you while you were both in Dema. You had read over them countless times since his disappearance, looking for any hidden message that he may have left, but you had still yet to find anything. If nothing else, it served as reassurance that, no matter where he was, he still loved you.

You neatly folded the pages back up and placed them under your bed with the rest of your few belongings. If you didn’t head down to the cafeteria soon, you would miss out on dinner. It would be a lie if you said you weren’t hungry after spending all day in the library.

You allowed your mind to wander as you made your way through Dema’s streets. Stories that Tyler had told you began to make their way inside your head. Stories of a place called Trench that lay outside the walls. That was where the Banditos lived, or so he had said. It seemed to you that they were no more than a myth that those inside Dema created to feel as if they were less alone.

You hoped that if Tyler was out there, in Trench, that he was with the Banditos. 

That is, if they actually existed.

 

You flipped onto your stomach and sighed, hoping that sleep would take you soon. It had felt like an eternity since you had laid down for bed, but something deep inside of you was keeping you awake. You couldn’t help the feeling that you were being watched. No matter how many times you checked the window or the hall, you just couldn’t quite shake it.

Just as you were finally beginning to drift off, you were woken up by someone placing a hand over your mouth. You reached up to grab at it, but their grip only tightened, preventing you from making any noise. The dark kept the details of the figure’s face hidden, but you could just make out one finger pressed to their lips. 

They slowly pulled their hand away from your mouth and took a step back towards the window. Moonlight shined down on them, fully revealing their features.

“Tyler,” you whispered.

He looked different than the last time you had seen him. All of the cuts on his face were now healed and his hair had been shaved down close to his head. The clothes he wore were no longer the ones provided by Dema, but rather a camouflage jacket covered in bits and pieces of yellow tape.

_ They can’t see yellow _ .

“I know you have questions, but I can answer them all later. We need to leave now before we get caught.”

You nodded and immediately got out of bed. Tyler helped you pack up your things--he already knew which things held the most value to you--while you grabbed a coat and laced up your shoes. Your mind was racing with questions, but you knew the most important thing was following Tyler’s instructions right now.

“Do you have everything?” Tyler asked as you pulled on your backpack.

“One more thing,” you said.

You grabbed Tyler’s face and pulled him towards you in a kiss. He deepened it for a moment before pulling away.

“We need to go.”

You nodded, “I know.”

He grabbed your hand and led you out of the room. You didn’t even bother to take a second glance back. Anywhere that you were going with Tyler would be much better than the place you were leaving behind.

There were a number of other people waiting in the courtyard below, wearing their own yellow-covered jackets and holding torches. They all turned to face you and Tyler as you exited the building that you had called home for so many years. Tyler nodded to all of them and they began to move.

“Where are we going?” you asked, tightening your grip on his hand.

He turned to you and smiled, “Home.”

 

You stayed silent as you followed the Banditos out of Dema. One of them covered you in your own pieces of tape as you walked, making you feel like less of an outsider. Tyler was just as quiet as you were; his attention was more focused on keeping an eye on your surroundings.

You eventually reached a camp full of hundreds of other Banditos. It was like an entire civilization that you hadn’t even known existed, making a living in the hills that lay outside Dema. You looked around in awe as Tyler led you through the camp.

“What do you think?” he asked.

“I think it’s beautiful,” you answered.

The people here seemed happier--freer, even--than those who had lived within Dema’s walls. You wished that everyone had a chance to make their way out here, away from the harsh rule of the bishops.

Tyler led you over to a small campfire and motioned for you to sit down. He took a seat next to you and immediately wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into his side.

“Feel free to ask whatever questions you may have.”

“Is this where you’ve been?” you asked.

“Yes.”

“For how long?”

“Since the night that I supposedly disappeared from Dema.”

“How?”

“I had been trying to escape before that point, but the bishops always caught up to me before long. It wasn’t until that night that the Banditos came to rescue me. They met me in the courtyard and at that point, I knew I had escaped.”

You stared into the fire for a moment, contemplating everything that Tyler had just told you.

“Why didn’t you ask me to come with you?”

“It was too risky before now. I had to make sure that these people were trustworthy, and I knew that as long as you were in Dema you would keep a low profile and stay safe. The bishops weren’t suspicious of you like they were of me. The plan was always to come back for you as soon as I could.”

Tyler pulled you a little closer to him and pressed a kiss to your temple. He hardly looked like the Tyler that you had known, but you knew that deep down he was still the same.

“You know, I never stopped trying to find out where you went,” you said. “Every day since you left, I sat in the library looking over records to see if the bishops had accidentally let any information slip through. And your letters, I must have read over them a dozen times.”

“You did?”

You nodded, “I wasn’t going to stop until I knew where you were. It was the only thing that I knew how to do without you there with me, really.”

“Didn’t you know I was going to come back for you?”

“How could I? I had no idea where you went.”

Tyler fully wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into his chest. He pressed numerous kisses to the top of your head.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I should have told you.”

“It’s ok, Tyler. It was too risky for you to leave any information with me. It was what had to be done to get me out of there.”

“I love you so much.”

You leaned back and grabbed his face, just to take a moment to admire him and the fact that he was really in front of you. Both of you were safe and alive and free.

“I love you too.”

He kissed you. It was a gentle kiss, but it was eager. There was a lot of lost time to make up for.

“Speaking of leaving Dema,” you whispered. “Where are we?”

Tyler smiled and turned to look out at the sea of yellow that lay before you. Dozens of Banditos moved freely around the camp, chatting with one another and going about their daily lives. He took hold of your hand and gave it a light squeeze.

“Welcome to Trench.”


	36. December: Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is part one of a two-part miniseries based on the song December by Neck Deep!

“Come on, please… pick up,” Tyler muttered.

He wished that he had brought a jacket with him when he went out to the bar. The mid-winter Ohio air was cold on his bare arms, and stumbling around plastered wasn’t really helping his mission of getting back to the apartment in a timely manner.

“Y/N,” he whined, staring down at his phone screen as if it would somehow make her pick up.

Her answering message played out into the quiet night.

“Hi, this is Y/N. I can’t come to the phone right now, but leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

He listened as Y/N giggled at something that he had said in the background of the message before the familiar voicemail tone sounded.

“Hi,” he murmured into the phone. “I know I’ve called a lot, but you haven’t picked up.”

Tyler was struggling to form words in his drunken state. Everything coming out of his mouth just felt wrong.

“I just wanted to tell you that I miss you. And I love you. Wait, maybe I shouldn’t say that.”

He pulled the phone away from his ear and stared down at the screen, squinting a little as he did so. His fingers looked a little bluer than normal. He wondered how long it had been since he left the bar.

“Um, sorry for calling,” he slurred. “Bye.”

He somehow managed to hit the end call button before slipping his phone back into his pocket. The street that he was on seemed unfamiliar and he had no idea where to go to get home.

His phone started to buzz in his pocket. Hoping it was Y/N, he quickly reached for it and answered. The idea of hearing her voice again was already making his heart flutter.

“Hello?”

“Where are you, man? My phone says you’re on the other side of town.”

“You’re not Y/N,” he sighed.

“No, I’m not,” Josh answered. “Are you drunk?”

He scoffed, “Hardly.”

“Just stay where you are, ok? I’m coming to get you.”

“Ok.”

It took Tyler a moment to register that Josh had ended the phone call. The world was spinning a bit more than it had been a moment ago, so he took a seat on the curb. A few flakes of snow were beginning to fall from the sky.

Josh pulled up against the curb some time later. Tyler wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting there. Time didn’t really feel real to him right now. Josh parked the car and hopped out.

“What are you doing out here?” Josh asked, grabbing Tyler’s arm and pulling him up to a standing position.

“I was walking home.”

“Where’s your jacket?”

“Don’t have one.”

Josh sighed and pulled off his own sweatshirt. After a bit of struggle, he managed to get the sweatshirt over Tyler’s head. Tyler rolled his eyes, but the blue tint to his lips suggested that he was probably more thankful for the warmth than he let on.

“Let’s get you in the car.”

Josh looped an arm around Tyler’s waist and walked him over to the side of the car. He waited until Tyler was securely in the passenger seat and buckled up before he got into the driver’s seat himself.

“Do you want me to take you home or should I bring you to my house?”

“She doesn’t care about me, Josh,” Tyler whined as he leaned his head against the window. It was cold, but he didn’t care. “She just left me alone.”

“Come on, Tyler,” Josh said, giving his friend a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “You’re just drunk. You’ll feel better in the morning.”

“Yeah.”

But Tyler knew that wasn’t true.

 

The sunlight streaming in through the window woke you up on Saturday morning. Next to you, your boyfriend was still fast asleep, snoring softly. You took a moment to admire him before reaching for your phone and checking your notifications.

There were three voicemail notifications, all from Tyler. He had been calling you at least once a day for the last week, but you left every one of them unanswered. Tyler was a part of your past that you would rather not think about right now.

And yet, your curiosity was getting the better of you.

You slowly got out of bed and walked out into the living room of your little apartment. Your boyfriend’s cat was sitting on the windowsill, basking in the morning sunlight. He turned to look at you as you walked into the room.

“Good morning, Pudge,” you smiled at him.

You took a seat just below the window where the sunlight was pouring in. It was warm on your back, but you knew that it would be cold as soon as you walked outside. That was the weird thing about winter.

Your finger hovered over the voicemail for a moment as you debated whether you actually wanted to listen to what he had to say. For all you knew, he could be cussing you out and telling you how he had never loved you. Did you really want to risk ruining your memories of him with that?

You decided that your curiosity overcame your fear, so you hit the small play button next to the first message.

“Hey, Y/N. Um, I know you’re in an entirely different state now, but if you’re willing to talk about everything that happened, that would be nice. Uh, call me back… if you want. Bye.”

You couldn’t deny the way that your breath still caught when you heard him say your name. The decision to break up had been yours and you knew it had been the right call, but it didn’t mean that you no longer had a place for him in your heart.

You hit play on the second voicemail.

“Hi again. I hope you’re doing well in your new place. It’s really cold in Ohio today. Anyway, I’m getting off topic. I’d still like to talk, if you’re up for it. Thanks. Bye.”

His words had been a bit more slurred in the second message than the first one. You wondered if he had gone out; he had never been big on drinking while you were together, although he was known to do it from time to time. That would explain all the voicemails.

You listened to the last one.

“Hi. I know I’ve called a lot, but you haven’t picked up. I just wanted to tell you that I miss you. And I love you. Wait, maybe I shouldn’t say that. Um, sorry for calling. Bye.”

You pulled the phone away from your ear and stared at the screen for a moment. Tyler was definitely drunk, there was no denying that. You hit play and brought the phone back up to your ear, just to make sure that you had heard him correctly. There was no way that he could have meant what he said.

“Good morning,” your boyfriend smiled.

You looked up from your phone, hastily closing out of the phone app. He slowly walked over and took a seat next to you on the ground.

“What are you doing down here?”

“Just sitting in the sunlight and spending quality time with Pudge.”

He reached over and brushed a strand of your hair out of your face, “Your face is bright red.”

“Did you just expect to walk in here shirtless and not make me blush?”

He laughed quietly and leaned closer to you, “I suppose not.”

You pulled him closer so you could place a gentle kiss on his lips. He ran his hands through your hair and deepened the kiss, but you pulled away shortly after.

“Breakfast?” you smiled.

His smile faltered for a moment before he answered, “Sure.”

Tyler’s hands were wrapped tightly around his mug of coffee as he sat in the window seat, looking down at the street below. Y/N had always loved sitting at the window seat. She would call out different cars that she saw to Tyler as he sat in the office, practicing piano or ukulele. He had never understood her fascination with it.

Now that she was gone, it was all he seemed to do.

He wondered what Y/N was doing now that she was off in some other part of the country. They had spent countless nights talking about their plans for the future, mostly places they wanted to go and things they wanted to see. Y/N had always loved the idea of watching a sunset on the West Coast.

He wandered into the office and grabbed his notebook. There were so many thoughts bouncing around his head that he needed to write them down somewhere. If he was lucky, it might make a good song once his head was clearer and he could actually begin to piece together melodies.

Tyler found that his eyes kept wandering towards the cars that drove past below. There was something almost relaxing about watching them whizz past, going about their daily lives. He thought he might be beginning to understand why Y/N had liked it so much.

His mind began to wander back to the night of the breakup. Y/N had brought it up out of the blue right after they finished dinner. He had tried to get her to tell him why, but she wouldn’t. She eventually packed up all her things and left, leaving him frozen in place on the couch. He had spent the rest of the night thinking of countless things he had done wrong that might have made her leave.

When he went to see her a few days later, he was informed by her landlord that she had moved out and left the state. He had tried to get in touch with her since then, but she never answered his calls. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t seem to get over Y/N. All he needed was some way to get in contact with her.

“That’s it,” Tyler smiled, immediately turning back to his notebook and scribbling down some lyrics.

_ I wonder if you’ll ever hear this song on your stereo. _


	37. December: Part Two

You hung your jacket up in the closet and collapsed down onto the couch. Pudge immediately hopped over and made himself comfortable on your stomach, which you didn’t mind. There were worse things in the world than having a cat sit on your stomach after a long day at work.

“Honey? Is that you?” your boyfriend called from the bedroom.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

Footsteps echoed in the hallway as your boyfriend walked out to greet you. He placed a quick kiss on your forehead before taking a seat by your knees.

“How was work?”

“Fine.”

“Anything exciting happen?”

“No.”

He lightly rubbed your thigh and then stood back up. You hated to admit it, but your feelings towards him had changed ever since the voicemail from Tyler a few weeks ago. Something about hearing him say he loved you had flipped a switch in you, although you weren’t entirely sure what it had done.

You scratched at Pudge’s ears while you stared up at the ceiling. Maybe giving him a call wouldn’t be such a bad idea. After all, you had ended things abruptly with no explanation. It’s not like you had wanted to, but how were you supposed to explain that you never felt good enough? It just seemed so silly when you said it out loud.

The thoughts started to get overwhelming, so you stood up and grabbed a soda from the refrigerator. Your boyfriend would probably want to spend some time with you, so you decided to join him in your bedroom. He would probably be working on some spreadsheet for work, anyway.

“Hey,” you said as you stepped through the door.

“Coming to hang with me?”

He spun around in his chair so that he was facing you and smiled. You felt bad that you had been doubting your relationship so much lately. Must be a bad habit of yours.

“I am.”

“Perfect. Now I’ve got my beautiful girlfriend, some great tunes, and our adorable cat to help me through making this spreadsheet.”

You nodded and took a seat on the edge of the bed. The radio was playing softly in the background--your boyfriend always insisted on listening to actual radio stations rather than your Spotify--and you found yourself bobbing your head along. Something about it seemed oddly familiar.

_ I was looking out our window _

_ Watching all the cars go _

_ Wondering if I’ll see Chicago _

_ Or a sunset on the West Coast _

“Did you catch who this is by?” you asked. 

“I don’t think they said, but it’s called December, I think.”

December. That seemed like an odd name for a song.

_ I hope you get your ballroom floor _

_ Your perfect house with rose red doors _

A chill ran down your spine at the mention of rose red doors. The reference and voice were all too familiar for this to be mere coincidence. You had always told Tyler about how you dreamed of having a bright red door on your house when you were older. There was no denying it.

The song was about you.

“I have to go,” you said, immediately standing up.

“What? Where are you going?”

You hastily pulled on the shoes that you had just kicked to the side of the door. Your boyfriend was looking at you like you were crazy.

“There’s someone I have to see.”

“Who? Y/N, are you feeling alright?”

It was all so clear to you now.

“Listen, this isn’t working,” you explained.

“What?” he asked, now standing up from his chair. “What is going on with you?”

“I’m sorry. I have to go.”

Your boyfriend called after you, hurling insults left and right. None of it mattered to you, your mind was too focused on other things. There was a long drive ahead of you.

The chorus playing in your bedroom was just audible as you stepped out the front door.

_ I’m the last thing you’d remember _

_ It’s been a long, lonely December _

 

“My mistakes were not intentions, this is a list of my confessions I couldn’t say,” Tyler sang quietly to himself as he made his bed.

He hesitated for a moment. It had sounded like someone was knocking on the door, but he wasn’t expecting any visitors. It was quiet for a moment before the stranger knocked again.

Tyler ran his hands through his hair as he made his way to the front door, hoping that it would make it look halfway decent. Without a moment’s hesitation, he pulled open the front door. His jaw nearly dropped at the sight of you standing there.

“Hi,” you said quietly.

“Y/N?”

“Yeah,” you exhaled.

He reached up to rub the back of his neck, “What, um, what are you, uh, doing here?”

His ears were burning at the mere thought of all the embarrassing voicemails he had sent you, especially while drunk. You didn’t really notice.

“I came to talk to you.”

“Me?”

You giggled, “Unless you have a roommate that I don’t know about.”

“No,” he smiled. “No roommate. Um, do you want to, like, come in?”

“Sure.”

You took a moment to look around the apartment that you had once considered your second home. Tyler hadn’t really changed much since the last time you had been in it, aside from it being a bit messier. The kitchen counter was covered in pages that contained fragments of lyrics and chord progressions.

“Do you mind if I take my jacket off?” you asked.

“Go for it.”

You pulled your winter coat off and slung it over the back of one of the stools. Tyler was standing just inside the doorway, staring at the ground.

“Did you want to sit down?” you asked.

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, good idea.”

You found yourself wandering over to the window seat. Something about watching the cars had always calmed you down, especially when you were doubting your place in your relationship with Tyler. You sat down and watched them for a moment before turning to face Tyler, who was now sitting on the couch.

“So, um, what brings you here?” he asked.

You began to fiddle with the bracelet on your wrist, “I heard the song you wrote. Um, December, right?”

You tried to act like you hadn’t listened to it on repeat all the way from your ex’s apartment to Tyler’s.

“Yeah, listen, I’m sorry if you thought that was weird… I just wanted to get a message to you somehow and since you wouldn’t pick up my calls, I did that.”

“I’m really sorry about the calls. I didn’t want to ignore you, it was just - I don’t know. Hard, I guess.”

“Yeah, I hear you there,” Tyler laughed.

“The song is really good, though. I had no idea you, um, felt that way.”

“You mean the drunken voicemail where I admitted I was in love with you didn’t get the point across?”

You smiled at Tyler’s joke. It was weird how comfortable you still felt around him, even after everything. It was like coming home after a long time away.

“Drunk people say crazy things.”

“Yeah, but what’s the saying? Drunk minds speak sober hearts?”

“Sober hearts,” you finished the quote with him. “I think I was too shocked to actually believe it.”

“Shocked?”

“Yeah, shocked that you could still love me after what I did.”

“Y/N,” he smiled. “I don’t know that I could ever stop loving you.”

You were too nervous to meet his eyes, although you knew that he was looking directly at you. There were so many--too many--things that you wanted to say to him.

“I’ll never understand that.”

“What, that I’m in love with you?”

“Yeah.”

“Why not?”

You took a deep breath, “Because I’ll never be good enough to even come close to you. I’m not special. I don’t have any talents. I’m not drop dead gorgeous. Hell, I’m not even that funny. And you? You’re all of that and then some.”

“Is that why you left?”

You tried to blink away the tears that were already starting to form, but to no avail.

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“How could I?”

You watched Tyler’s legs as they stood up from the couch and closed the space between you. He stopped a few inches away from you and slowly lifted a hand to under your chin, tilting your head so that you would finally look at him.

“Think about it,” you sniffled. “You wrote me a song to get me back and I didn’t even try. I just ignored your calls and then listened to the voicemails, thinking about what could have been.”

“But you came all the way here to see me.”

You shrugged, “Driving doesn’t take much talent.”

“You know that I love everything about you, right? Even if you don’t have traditional talents, you can do so many other things. I’ve never seen anyone else fit ten grapes into their mouth.”

“I was drunk,” you giggled.

“Still a talent,” he grinned. “And you are drop dead gorgeous. I could look at your eyes all day. And you have the prettiest smile of anyone I’ve ever met.”

“I do?”

“Yes. Not to mention that you crack me up on a daily basis. I’ve missed your jokes while you’ve been away.”

“A whole month without laughing, that must have been hard,” you said.

This gained a laugh from Tyler, “That’s exactly my point. You were never any less than me, no matter what you thought, and I would have told you the same thing a month ago.”

“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you why I ended things,” you said. “That’s one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made.”

“I think allowing myself use of my phone while drunk is one of mine,” he laughed.

“Hey, if you hadn’t drunk called me, I probably wouldn’t be here.”

“That’s true.”

You reached out and grabbed his free hand, “Do you think you could maybe forgive me?”

“In a heartbeat.”

“I love you, Tyler.”

“I love you too, Y/N.”

He used the hand under your chin to pull you into a kiss. His lips were soft, if not a bit cold, but they were familiar. You pulled him a little closer to you.

“I missed your face,” he whispered.

You shook your head and laughed, “So I heard.”


	38. Tear In My Heart

You wrapped an arm around Tyler’s waist and leaned into him a little bit. It had a long day of promoting the new album and fan interactions and you were looking forward to getting home and cuddling up in bed next to Tyler. There were still a few people that he had to talk to before you could leave.

“I’m almost done,” he whispered.

He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of your head and you nodded against his shoulder. The sound of his voice slowly became a hum in the back of your mind as you closed your eyes. His hand was warm where it was holding onto your side, and for a moment you thought you would be able to fall asleep standing up.

“Y/N?”

“Hmm?” you hummed, opening your eyes again and straightening your posture.

“I have to go talk to those guys real quick, do you want to just wait here?”

“Yeah, I’ll go take a seat.”

Tyler pressed a kiss to your temple before following a couple guys into the next room. You collapsed down into a chair and began to scroll through your phone to kill what little bit of time was left before you could go home. Your timeline was full of pictures from the meet and greet today.

You weren’t sure how long it was until Tyler came back, holding a few more papers than when he had left. He smiled as his eyes landed on you curled up in the chair.

“If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought you were taking a nap.”

“Almost,” you sighed as you stretched out your legs. “I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to  stay awake.”

“The good news is that we can leave now. I finished up the last bit of paperwork and we’re good to go.”

You held out a hand, prompting Tyler to grab it and pull you up to a standing position. In your tired state, you overshot your landing and ended up falling into Tyler’s chest. He laughed as he wrapped an arm around you to keep you from falling to the ground.

“Are you sure you aren’t drunk?” he laughed.

“Not drunk, just exhausted,” you yawned.

“Let’s get you out of here then so you can go to bed.”

“Gladly.”

You leaned into Tyler’s side as you two headed out of the building and across the parking lot. He messed with some stuff in the trunk while you crawled into the passenger seat and used one of his sweatshirts from the backseat as a makeshift pillow. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world, but at this point you were too tired to care.

“That didn’t take long.”

“Shh.”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to disturb your rest,” Tyler chuckled as he shut the car door behind him.

You were snoring before Tyler had even made it out of the parking lot. He took a moment to admire how peaceful you looked leaned up against the window for a moment before he pulled out onto the street.

Tyler hummed quietly to himself as he drove back towards your house on the outskirts of Columbus. It wasn’t a super long drive, but the roads were covered in cracks and bumps that made driving require a bit more attention than he would have liked. Driving was supposed to be for thinking and listening to music, not being on the constant lookout for hazards that could be easily repaired.

He sighed as he carefully avoided another pothole, making sure not to shake the car too much so that your sleep wouldn’t be disturbed. Surely he paid enough in taxes for them to pave the roads a bit better, right? At least the ones that were between downtown and where the two of you lived.

“What the heck,” he muttered, narrowly avoiding another one.

He looked over to you, quickly searching for any signs that you had been woken up by his driving. You were still snoring lightly, completely unfazed by everything else going on around you.

Maybe writing a letter to the local government would change something? Or a song. Tyler was good at songs.

 

“Are we home?” you whispered as the car shuddered to a stop.

“Yeah.”

You groaned, “I don’t want to move.”

“Just stay right there.”

You watched as Tyler grabbed things from the trunk and carried them into the house. The light from inside spilled out onto the pavement, illuminating the cobblestones that surrounded the door. He returned a few moments later, no longer carrying anything in his arms. You unbuckled and started to open your car door.

“Hold on!” Tyler said, picking up his pace a little to meet you just outside the car. “I’ll carry you.”

“What?”

“I’ll carry you inside. I wouldn’t want to make you walk when you’re so tired,” he grinned.

“Aww.”

Tyler easily slid one arm under your legs and used the other to support your back. You grabbed your bag from the ground and helped him to close the car door. With the car shut and locked, you rested your head against his shoulder.

“Ow,” you giggled as he accidentally smacked your legs against the doorframe.

“Sorry,” he laughed. “Wasn’t paying attention.”

“It’s ok, love.”

It took a bit of teamwork to get the front door shut and locked, but the two of you managed to make it happen. Tyler carried you up the stairs and set you gently on the bed.

“Pajamas,” you managed to mutter.

“I’ll grab you some,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

“Thanks.”

You leaned back into the pillows until Tyler returned with some of your pajamas in his hand. He tossed them gently onto your stomach and then disappeared back down the stairs. While he finished up what he was doing, you got changed and crawled under the warm covers. Your eyelids were already growing heavy again.

The bed dipped with Tyler’s weight when he finally joined you in bed. You were already half-asleep, but still had just enough awareness to register that Tyler had laid down next to you.

“Are you still awake?” he whispered.

You giggled in response, “Barely.”

He rested a hand lightly on your arm, “Cuddle with me.”

There was no way you would be able to deny a request as innocent as that. With what little energy you had left, you adjusted yourself so that you could wrap yourself around Tyler. He laced his fingers with yours and held your hand to his chest.

“Feel that?” he asked. His voice was hardly more than a whisper.

“You’re alive.”

“I am,” he laughed. “I think you’re the tear in my heart, you know?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

You weren’t sure if Tyler was actually being confusing or if you were just too tired to process what he was saying correctly. Regardless, he seemed genuine about what he was saying.

“It’s like, my heart is my armor, but you allow me to open up. You’re the tear that allows me to be vulnerable. Does that make sense?”

“I think so, Ty.”

“I’m sorry, you’re tired.”

“No, no. I like listening to you talk.”

“All you need to know is that I love you.”

“I love you too.”

You pressed a kiss to the back of Tyler’s shoulder, given that it was about the only bit of his skin you could reach without moving your head too much. He gave your hand a light squeeze.

“You should sleep, love.”

You smiled and held him a little tighter, “I’m already a step ahead of you.”


	39. Melody

You listened as the computer read out the last sentence that you had written. Rocket shifted against your legs, making himself a little more comfortable on the other end of the couch. Light was pouring in from the windows on the far side of the room, illuminating the shapes of the various things that Tyler kept on top of his piano.

Your fingers traced the keyboard on your laptop as you thought of what to write next. In just a few days, it would be your and Tyler’s third wedding anniversary. You had decided to write him a poem telling him all the things you loved about him, but it was harder to put your thoughts to words than you had expected, even despite the fact you had been writing poetry since you were a teenager.

With a sigh, you shut your laptop and set it on the coffee table. Maybe watching a movie for awhile would help you to come up with something. If nothing else, it would at least give your brain a break.

“Rocket, come here, honey,” you cooed, calling your service dog to you.

You smiled as you felt your golden retriever climb onto your stomach and rest his head in the crook of your neck. He sniffed around a little bit, rustling a few strands of your hair.

“What a sweet boy.”

You wrapped your arms around him and scratched at his back. Rocket meant the absolute world to you--not just because he helped you get around on a daily basis--and you loved snuggling up on the couch with him. It was second only to cuddling up next to Tyler.

You had just turned on a movie for you and Rocket when you heard the front door swing open. There was a number of different sounds: bags rustling, the heavy footsteps that Tyler’s boots always caused, and Tyler’s muttered curses as he tried to close the door.

“How was the grocery store?” you asked.

“Fine,” he huffed. “I got stuff to make pasta for dinner.”

“Yes! My favorite.”

You wanted to offer to help Tyler with the groceries, but there was no way you were about to sacrifice your position with Rocket on your chest.

“I thought you might appreciate it. I also think I figured out a melody for that song that I’ve been working on. I couldn’t get it out of my head the entire time I was shopping.”

“Will you play it for me?”

“I will once the groceries are put away.”

“Alright, love.”

You continued to scratch Rocket’s back, letting his fur run between your fingers. Tyler had helped you give him a bath yesterday, meaning that he was nice and clean. It was hard to resist the urge to just bury your face into his neck.

You could just make out the sound of Tyler humming to himself over the opening and closing of cupboards in the other room. It was a tune you didn’t recognize, meaning that it was probably the new melody that he had come up with at the store. Just the small snippet he was humming sounded beautiful and you could hardly contain your excitement over hearing him play it properly at the piano.

“Groceries are put away,” Tyler announced as he kicked his shoes off by the door where you wouldn’t accidentally trip on them.

“Thank you for doing that.”

You smiled and held out a hand. Tyler lightly rested his hand in yours and ran his fingers between yours. His hand was colder than you had been expecting.

“Cold outside?” you laughed.

He pulled your hand away from you so that he could press a kiss to it. Thankfully his lips were warmer than his hands.

“Yes, but the sun is shining.”

“I noticed.”

You felt Rocket move off of your chest as the couch dipped with Tyler’s weight near your knees. The light from the window was just barely illuminating his silhouette enough for you to see. He moved his free hand to your leg.

“How was your morning here?”

“Good, I’ve just been working on some things.”

“Things?”

“Projects.”

“What sort of projects?”

“Secret ones.”

“Alright, alright, I get it,” he laughed, lightly tapping your leg.

“You’ll know soon enough.”

He lightly squeezed your hand, “I’m sure I will.”

“So, what about this new melody?”

You watched as his shadowy silhouette leaned back against the couch, “I’ll play it soon. I just need to take a moment to sit.”

You pulled your hand away from his and held out your arms, welcoming him to come lay on your chest. He happily obliged and rested his head in the crook of your neck as he slowly snaked his arms around you. Once he was adjusted, you wrapped your arms around him and lightly ran your fingers around his back.

“You smell nice,” you said.

“Is it my hair?”

“Did you use coconut shampoo?”

“Yes.”

“Then yes,” you giggled.

You slowly ran a hand along Tyler’s back until you reached the nape of his neck. He sighed contentedly as you began to run your fingers through his hair and give him head scratches.

“You know, if you keep doing that I’m never going to get up to play that melody.”

“I don’t see a problem with that.”

Tyler laughed and pressed a kiss to the sensitive spot just below your ear, only making you giggle more. His breath was hot on your neck as he exhaled and went back to laying on your shoulder.

“Ok, I need to play this melody before I forget it,” Tyler sighed.

Tyler pushed himself off the couch and shuffled over by the window. You slowly pushed yourself up to a sitting position so that you could better see what was going in front of you. Tyler’s figure was a little clearer now that he was closer to the window, although it was still hard to make out exactly what was going on.

“Give me a second to figure out what notes I’m doing.”

“Take your time, love.”

You admired the way Tyler looked bent over his piano as he slowly tapped out keys. Shortly after you had moved in with him, Tyler had moved the piano in front of the window because he knew how much you loved to watch him play. The light from the window made it possible for you to actually have some idea what was going on, since your retinitis pigmentosa had made it difficult for you to see much besides light and dark contrast.

Tyler eventually got the hang of what he was doing and began to tap out a melody that sounded similar to what he had been humming in the kitchen. He let out a content sigh and softly tapped the top of the piano.

“Ready to hear it?”

“Of course.”

Tyler slowly began to play the piano. You listened intently, hanging on to every note. The melody that he played was short, but it made you smile just as much as any full song that he played for you.

“That was beautiful, Ty!”

“You think so?”

You watched his figure stand up and come back towards the couch. He took a seat next to your legs once again.

“I do. I just wish that I could see you play.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, reaching out to rest a hand on your arm. “You did.”

“No, like, really see you. I can watch, but I can’t see all the little details. You know, like the way your muscles move or the expressions you make or just watching your fingers move along the keys. I just can’t see all the intimate details. It’s hard sometimes, knowing that I’ll never get to experience that.”

“Come here, love.”

Tyler slowly guided you into his arms. You wrapped your arms around his waist and pressed your forehead to his shoulder.

“I know it’s hard,” he whispered. “I wish there was something that I could do.”

“No, it’s ok, Ty. You already do so much for me. You help me in so many ways. I love you for that.”

“I love you too, Y/N.”

“You know, just once, I would like to see your face when you say that.”

You reached towards him and he caught your hand in his own, guiding it to his face. He rubbed his thumb along the back of your hand. 

“I wish I could show you.”

You had always wondered what Tyler looked like. Sure, you had heard countless descriptions and seen how his profile looked and Tyler had told you about things like his tattoos and birthmarks, but it wasn’t the same as being able to see him and study every little detail.

“Maybe one day,” you shrugged. “For now, I just have to live with what I’ve got.”

Tyler let out a little laugh, “You’re so strong, Y/N. Stronger than you know.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Can I kiss you?”

“Yes.”

He moved his hand forward so that he could pull you into a kiss. You didn’t think that you would ever get tired of the way that his lips felt pressed against yours. 

“You’re so beautiful, Y/N.”

Even though Tyler was being so serious, you couldn’t resist the urge to crack a joke, “I wouldn’t know.”

He laughed and pressed another gentle kiss to your cheek, “What a dork.”

“Hey! I am not.”

You were interrupted by Rocket jumping onto the couch and making himself comfortable in your lap which swiftly put an end to the moment you and Tyler had been sharing.

“I think that’s my cue to start making us some dinner,” Tyler said.

“Yeah, I don’t think it gets much clearer than that.”

“One more kiss?”

You puckered your lips and Tyler gave you one final kiss before getting up and walking off. Rocket happily took his spot and curled back up next to you, enjoying the opportunity to spread out as much as he wanted. With a smile, you reached out and began to scratch at his ears .

It couldn’t get any better than this.


	40. First Kiss

You laughed as your dog went sprinting back across the yard, chasing after the tennis ball you had thrown just moments before. He launched through the air, expertly catching the ball in his mouth and landing in the grass.

“Come here, Fergus!” you called.

The dog came running back over and dropped the ball at your bare feet. You scooped it up and held it out to Tyler.

“You want to throw it?”

He wrinkled his nose at the sight of the slobber-covered ball in your hand, “I’ll pass.”

“If you insist.”

You chucked the ball across the yard again before staring down at your damp hand. With a devilish grin, you reached over and rubbed your hand on Tyler’s shoulder. He immediately ducked away as he realized what you were doing.

“Hey!” he laughed. “That’s gross.”

“It’s just dog slobber.”

“If it’s ‘just dog slobber’, then you can wipe it on your own shirt.”

You shook your head, although it was hard to ignore the pit of nervousness in your stomach. It had only been about a week since you and Tyler had started dating, and you were still trying to figure out exactly how to navigate a relationship. Tyler seemed to have everything figured out, but you managed to embarrass yourself doing something as simple as holding hands.

“Sorry, Ty,” you mumbled.

“It’s alright,” he grinned, wrapping an arm around you and pulling you into his side. “I’ll get you back.”

“Hey!” You lightly elbowed him in the ribs, making him duck away from you yet again.

“You asked for it.”

“Did not!”

“Then why did you rub dog slobber on me?”

You picked up the tennis ball that Fergus had brought back to you and tossed it again, “Because it was funny.”

Tyler rested an arm behind you again, “You have an interesting definition of funny.”

You smiled and drummed your fingers against your legs. Ever since you and Tyler started dating, you had been wondering when you two would kiss. You had never kissed anyone before - family members didn’t count - and you hadn’t been able to stop worrying about what it would be like. Part of you just wanted to get it over with so you would stop being so stressed out about it.

Fergus ran over and dropped the ball at your feet, but didn’t wait for you to throw it again. He simply walked over to the grass and plopped down in it, panting heavily. You laughed and kicked the slobbery ball away from your feet.

“Now what?” Tyler asked.

“I guess we just sit,” you laughed.

“I’m ok with that.”

You lightly tapped your feet against the pavement, enjoying the sunshine. Spring was finally coming to an end and the summer weather was beginning to set in.

“Hey, Y/N?”

You turned to Tyler, “Yeah?”

“I’m, uh, really happy we’re dating.”

“Really?” you said, not even trying to hide the dorky grin on your face. This made Tyler smile too.

“Yeah. I know I’m not always the best at showing it, but I’m glad we are.”

In a moment of bravery, you reached out and grabbed Tyler’s hand, “I’m glad we’re dating too.”

“You know,” he said quietly as he lightly poked at your leg. “We’ve been dating for a little over a week now.”

“Yeah?”

Your heart was pounding so hard that you thought it might go straight through your sternum.

“Um,” Tyler scratched the back of his head with his free hand. “I was kind of wondering if it would be ok for me to kiss you?”

“Kiss me? You want to do that?”

Tyler laughed, “Of course I want to do that.”

“Oh, um, yeah,” you nodded. “You can kiss me.”

“Ok,” Tyler grinned.

He closed his eyes and started to lean forward, but you put a hand to his chest, stopping him halfway.

“Wait,” you said. Tyler opened his eyes and looked at you. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Neither do I,” he giggled.

“What do I do?”

“Just close your eyes and kinda tilt your head to the side.”

You did as Tyler said, “Like that?”

“Yeah, and then - well - I’m going to kiss you, ok?”

“Ok.”

You drew in a shaky breath as you waited for him to close the space between you. He reached up and rested a hand on the side of your face, making you jump a little. His breath was hot on your chin as he laughed a little.

“Just relax, ok?”

“I’m trying,” you giggled.

Tyler answered you by pressing his lips to yours. They were softer than you had expected, especially considering Tyler’s opposition to chapstick. You weren’t entirely sure what to do in return, so you reached out and lightly rested a hand on his knee. 

The two of you were interrupted by someone opening the door to the backyard. You practically pushed Tyler away from you as you turned to see who it was.

“Oh, sorry!” your mom said, immediately covering her mouth with her hand. “I was just coming to see if you two wanted anything for lunch!”

“We’re fine, Mom,” you said quickly, avoiding any and all eye contact.

“Alright, let me know if that changes!” she said before closing the door again.

You turned back to Tyler, whose face had turned bright red from the interaction. Both of you immediately started laughing, unable to contain the sheer embarrassment.

“Well that’s burned into my mind forever,” you laughed.

“I think it might be burned into your mom’s memory too.”

You buried your face in your hands, “Oh geez, that was awful.”

“It could have been worse.”

You turned to look at him, “Could it?”

“Definitely.”

You sighed and pressed your forehead to Tyler’s shoulder. He wrapped an arm around you and lightly rubbed your back.

“Hey, at least we got the awkward first kiss over with,” he said.

“You have a point.”

You turned to look up at Tyler, who was staring out over the yard. The sun was highlighting his features, making him look even more beautiful than usual.

“You know, I wouldn’t be opposed to another kiss,” you mumbled.

Tyler turned to look at you, laughing quietly, “No?”

“Nope.”

Tyler’s hand moved to under your chin as you sat up a little straighter. This time, you were the one to lean into him. He smiled as you kissed him.

Turns out there was nothing to worry about, after all.


	41. Glowing Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was an one of two entries I did for a writing challenge on Tumblr! The prompt that I was given is bolded within the fic :)

You idly fiddled with your sweatshirt strings as Tyler scribbled down some words in his notebook. The two of you had been in the middle of a nice conversation when he had abruptly cut you off in order to write down some idea that had popped into his head. It wasn’t anything new, ever since he had started the songwriting process for the next album, he would whip out his notebook to write down ideas anytime and anywhere.

“Did you think of anything good?” you asked, assuming that your previous conversation was old news by this point.

“No,” he grumbled as he snapped his notebook closed. “It’s just another lyric that doesn’t fit anywhere else.”

“Do you want to go on a walk or something? It might help clear your head.”

You subconsciously crossed your fingers, hoping that he would take you up on your offer. As much as you loved and supported him, it had been hard to pull his attention away from songwriting over the last few weeks.

He shook his head, “I just need to get one song done today. Or even a chorus. Something.”

It was hard to mask your disappointment, but you put on a smile. “Just don’t put too much pressure on yourself, ok? The best lyrics are the ones that come to you naturally.”

You reached out and lightly rubbed his back. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips for a brief moment before disappearing again.

“I just really want to make a career out of this, you know? It’s my dream. And in order to do that I need to be great.”

“You are great, Ty. I know you can make this work.”

He shrugged and grabbed his notebook. Rather than writing down lyrics, he began to draw in the margins of the paper. You hated to see him getting so down on himself.

“You know, Molly was telling me about how her cousin got a book deal. I think it’s a pretty big company too, but I can’t remember which one she said it was.”

Tyler stopped drawing and turned to face you. His eyebrows were furrowed, “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

You were a bit taken aback by his change of tone. Slowly, you removed your hand from his back and dropped it into your lap.

“I just thought it might give you some hope. People we know are getting successful. That could be you, Ty.”

“No, I get it.  **We all know somebody who knows somebody who’s doing great.** ”

“Ty, I didn’t mean it like-”

“Just stop, Y/N. You try to act like you know what I’m going through, but you don’t. You have a college education and a nice job all lined up for you. You could never understand.”

He opened his notebook and began to write down more lyrics. You just sat and stared the table, trying desperately to swallow the lump that had formed in your throat. Tyler had never snapped at you like that before, but he was too busy writing to even notice how upset he had made you.

“I’ll be upstairs,” you muttered.

Tyler didn’t even look up as you left the table. You wiped a tear away from your cheek as you climbed the stairs and made a beeline for the bedroom that you two shared. As soon as the door was shut behind you, you leaned against it and buried your face in your hands.

You hated that you were so upset over this. Tyler was just frustrated and you knew he didn’t mean the things that he said, but something about the tone that he had used while talking to you just set something off within you. Ever since the two of you had gotten together, you had tried your best to support him and his music in any way that you could. You had liked to think that you had at least some semblance of an idea of what he was going through, but apparently he didn’t agree.

You pushed some hair back from your face and began to walk the length of the room in some attempt to keep yourself from breaking down too much. All you needed to do was calm down a little and then you could go downstairs and talk things out with Tyler. He would feel bad as soon as you told him that he had upset you. Or at least, you hoped he would.

You walked over to where Tyler’s keyboard was tucked into the corner of the room, thinking of the countless times that you had sat on the bed and watched him play. Your favorite moments were when he would try to come up with melodies. He would sit at his keyboard for hours, trying out different notes and writing them down as he went. There was something so fascinating about watching him write songs.

You traced your fingers over the keys for a few seconds before you started to play, hoping that it would have the same calming effect as when Tyler played. He had taught you a few of his older songs, but they never quite seemed to stick in your mind. You had just remembered the intro to Implicit Demand for Proof when there was a soft knock on the door.

You immediately stood up from the keyboard and turned to the door, hoping that Tyler hadn’t seen you playing it. He opened the door just enough that he could slide in and then closed it softly behind him. His notebook was still in his hand, but he quickly set it on top of the dresser.

“Can we talk?” he asked quietly.

You nodded and took a seat on the bed. He sat down next to you and rested a hand on your knee.

“I’m really sorry about snapping at you earlier, Y/N. I know you were just trying to help me feel a little better, but my head gets so wrapped up in comparing myself to other people that hearing about their success just makes me feel even worse. But you didn’t mean like that and I shouldn't have gotten mad at you over it.”

You rested one of your hands on top of his, “Thank you for apologizing, Tyler. I’m just worried about you and want to make sure you’re taking care of yourself.”

“Yeah, I know,” he sighed, reaching up to run his free hand through his hair. “And what I said about you not getting what I’m going though… you do get it. Better than anyone else, actually. I guess sometimes I just get so caught up in feeling like I’m alone in all of this that I forget.”

“I’m going to have your back through all of this, no matter what happens. I’ll always be your number one supporter.”

“Thank you,” he smiled, leaning forward to press a kiss to your cheek. “Speaking of supporting me, can we actually talk through some stuff? I’ve been bottling a lot of it up and I just need to talk through it.”

“Of course.”

You moved further back on the bed so that you could sit more comfortably. Tyler did the same, although he scooted a bit closer to you so that he could rest his legs against yours. He fiddled with a button on his shirt for a moment before he began to speak.

“This new album,” he started. “I just want it to be perfect, you know? The last one did decent, but decent isn’t enough to make a living out of. And now Chris and Nick are talking about having to leave the band, and I don’t think I can do this without them.”

He pulled his hand away from yours and covered his face. You reached out and rubbed his arm as you tried to think of the right thing to say.

“Ty, that was an independently produced album. All you need is a label to work under. Your music is fantastic. It speaks to people. Do you know how many times I’ve listened to it on bad nights when I just need to hear your voice?”

Tyler moved his hands away from his face and muttered a quiet, “Yeah.”

“And wasn’t Chris talking about a drummer he knew that might be able to take his place? What was his name… Jake?”

“Josh.”

“Josh, right. You haven’t even heard this guy play yet, he might be even better than Chris. This could be good for the band.”

He shook his head, “I just don’t think that I can do music anymore. This isn’t what I’m meant to do.”

“Tyler Joseph,” you reached forward and put a hand under his chin so that he would look at you. “You have something special, alright? And I know it’s hard right now because you’re trying to write an entire album and that’s a lot of pressure to be putting on yourself, but you’re doing something amazing. The melodies and little fragments of lyrics that I’ve heard will make amazing songs. I just know it.”

“You really think so?”

“I know so.”

Tyler smiled and reached forward so that he could pull you into a hug.

“I love you, Ty.”

“I love you too,” he mumbled into your shoulder. “Thank you for never giving up on me.”

* * *

“Listen,” Tyler whispered.

Both of you stood silently on stage, listening to the hum of conversation on the other side of the curtain. None of the fans were aware that you were standing there while they waited patiently for the start of the show.

“This is crazy,” you said quietly. “That sounds like so many people.”

Tyler reached over and laced his fingers with yours, “That’s because it is a lot of people.”

You tugged on his hand a little so that he was close enough that you could wrap an arm around him. He laughed a little and rested his head on your shoulder.

“You made it, Ty.”

He gave you a light squeeze, “We made it. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

The two of you were interrupted by Josh joining you on stage. He smiled when he saw the two of you holding on to one another.

“They want us backstage in a couple minutes,” he said.

“Tell them I’ll be there in just a second. I’m enjoying this moment for now.”

Josh gave him a pat on the shoulder before disappearing backstage. Tyler was still leaned on your shoulder and you could just make out the smile on his face.

“Sometimes I wish I could just stand here with you forever. No worries. No responsibilities. Just you and me.”

“And all the fans,” you giggled.

“Yes, and all the fans.”

After a few minutes of you two standing in silence, Tyler finally stepped away from you. He kept your fingers intertwined as he led you backstage, away from the quiet hum that had once surrounded you.

“I should get up to my seat so that I don’t miss anything,” you said, fixing a loose strand of his hair.

“I’ll miss you,” he laughed.

You shook your head and planted a quick kiss on his lips before walking off with a security guard. As you walked, you couldn’t help but think back to the long nights spent watching Tyler sit at his piano tapping out the same melodies that he now played on stage in front of thousands of fans. 

It was hard not to smile as you thought of how far he had come.


	42. Taken By Sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This fic contains mentions of death & illness. I advise skipping over this one if you are sensitive to that sort of thing!

You grabbed your bag from the passenger seat and closed the car door with your hip. There were still a few minutes before visitation hours officially started, but you hoped that the nurses would be nice and let you slip in a few minutes early. With Tyler’s condition getting worse, you tried to get in as much time with him as possible.

Your phone buzzed as you were walking through the front doors of the hospital. Without missing a beat, you pulled it out of your pocket and read the text. 

**_Josh:_ ** _ Got a late start. Will be at the hospital ASAP _

You finished typing out a response just as you reached the front desk. The nurse smiled at you.

“Y/N Joseph, nice to see you again.”

“You too,” you said, trying to put on a brave face. “I’m sure you know why I’m here.”

“I do, but visitation hours don’t start for another ten minutes.”

You tried not to let the disappointment show on your face. Instead, you forced a smile and headed down the hallway that you knew led to the coffee shop. Picking up a drink for you and Tyler would help kill time and hopefully cheer him up a little bit.

You arrived back at the check-in desk at exactly 10:59, armed with two warm drinks and a smile on your face. The nurse looked up as you gently set one of the drinks on the counter.

“There’s still a minute,” she smiled.

“My husband is terminally ill, I think you can make a sixty second exception.”

“ID, please.”

You grabbed your ID and slid it across the counter to the nurse. By the time she was done checking you in, the clock read 11:00.

“Have a nice day.”

“You too.”

You grabbed the second drink from the counter and walked down the hallway towards Tyler’s room. He was already awake as you slowly pushed the door open with your forearm. His face lit up as soon as he realized that it was you and not another nurse.

“Lovely,” he grinned.

You smiled at the nickname he had given you years ago. “I brought you some coffee.”

“You did?”

You noticed that the bags under his eyes had gotten deeper since you had last seen him yesterday. His hands shook a bit as he reached out to take the coffee from you, but you tried not to pay too much attention. Tyler hated when anyone brought too much attention to his condition.

“I got here too early and the nurse wouldn’t let me come see you yet, so I thought getting you a nice warm drink might cheer you up.”

“I appreciate it. Thank you, lovely.”

You walked over and took a seat next to his hospital bed. The chair was still in the same position that you had left it yesterday. Tyler slowly brought the cup to his lips and took the tiniest of sips.

“Josh said that he got a late start this morning but he’ll be here as soon as possible.”

Tyler nodded as he pulled the lid off the top of his cup.

“It’s hot,” he explained. “Hopefully this cools it down.”

“How was last night?”

“Fine,” he shrugged. “I didn’t eat much, but I guess that isn’t really news.”

You reached out and grabbed his hand, “You should try and eat, Ty. You need to keep your strength up.”

“I know. I’m trying. I really am.”

“That’s good.”

You gave his hand a light squeeze. He managed a weak smile before bringing the cup to his lips again.

“I talked on the phone with your mom last night. She said that they’re going to try and come visit again next week.”

Tyler nodded slowly, “She told me about that. All my siblings are coming into town.”

“Are you going to be able to handle that?”

He let out a weak laugh, “It’s family, I’m not really sure that I have a choice.”

You rubbed your thumb against the back of his hand and smiled. Even when he was sick, he was still putting others before himself.

“You know, I watched a movie last night,” he continued.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. I can’t remember the name, but you would have really liked it. I wish I had waited to watch it when you were here.”

“You didn’t know I would like it,” you reassured him. “Maybe I’ll watch it at home tonight and then we can talk about it tomorrow.”

“Ok,” he smiled and gave your hand a light squeeze. “I’ll ask one of the nurses what movie it was.”

Suddenly, he pulled away his hand from yours as he started coughing yet again. You quickly took his coffee out of his hand and began to rub his back. He sounded worse than he had yesterday, if that was possible, but you tried not to worry too much. Tyler was going to be ok.

“Sorry,” he muttered once he finally calmed down.

“No, don’t apologize.” You handed his coffee back to him. “You’re ok.”

Tyler was about to say something else when the door to the room swung open. Josh stood in the doorway, holding a variety of coffee cups in his hands. His face fell when he realized that you and Tyler already had drinks.

“And here I was thinking I was being original,” he sighed.

Tyler began to laugh, but it was short lived before he was bent over in another coughing fit. You grabbed his hand and began to rub his thumb.

“I got here too early and had time to kill,” you explained.

Josh nodded as he handed out the drinks that he had brought. The name brand coffee was a welcome change from the watered down drink that you had previously been sipping on. Tyler took a deep breath after recovering from his coughing fit and took his cup from Josh.

“What have I missed?” Josh asked as he pulled over a chair from the other side of the room.

“Not much,” you said. “I really didn’t get here that long ago.”

“How are you feeling, Ty?”

Josh leaned forward so that he could rest a hand on Tyler’s arm. 

“I’m ok,” Tyler nodded. 

You and Josh shared a knowing look. Tyler was never one to let people know if he wasn’t ok. He could have a limb missing and he would still tell people that everything was just fine.

“Have you been working on much music?” Josh asked.

“Not much,” Tyler answered. “Whenever I try to write, my hand just tires out too fast. I’ve got some good stuff up here, though.”

Tyler smiled and pointed to his temple, earning a laugh from both you and Josh. He seemed pleased by that.

“I’m excited to start working on the next album with you.”

“Don’t worry, Josh. I’ll be out of here and we’ll be working hard before you know it.”

You smiled, but couldn’t help the pang of sadness that shot through your chest. In the back of your mind, you knew there was a possibility that there wouldn’t be a next album. Tyler might never be out of the hospital again. It was hard for you to think about,

Tyler must have noticed your distress, because he reached over and grabbed your hand.

“Are you doing alright, lovely?”

“Yeah, I’m ok,” you nodded.

“Ok, good.”

Josh reached over and gave you a pat on the back as well. You took a long sip of your drink and tried to direct your mind elsewhere. There was no point in worrying about something that wasn’t even guaranteed to happen.

You and Josh decided to head down to the cafeteria around noon to grab something for the three of you to eat. Worries were still sitting at the back of your mind--as they seemed to be every day--but you were trying to make the most of what time you had.

“Are you sure you’re doing ok?” Josh asked as you walked. “You seem more out of it than usual today.”

“I’m just worried,” you shrugged. “He seems worse than usual and I can’t tell if it’s my imagination or not.”

“I think it’s just your imagination. Tyler seems fine to me.”

“You’re right. And the nurses seem pretty optimistic about his condition. I really shouldn’t be so stressed over this.”

“Exactly,” he said, pulling you into a side hug. “Remember what we said when he was first diagnosed?”

“No matter how much time he has, we’re going to enjoy every second together.”

“Right.”

“Right,” you repeated.

Tyler smiled as you and Josh walked into the room, now holding trays full of food. He carefully looked over his options.

“Are you going to eat?” you asked.

“I’m going to try,” he said as he reached for a sandwich. “This food looks pretty good.”

“Remind me to bring you some outside food tomorrow, Ty,” Josh said. “I’m sure you’re tired of hospital food.”

He simply shrugged, “There’s worse things to eat.”

“Like bananas.”

Tyler scrunched up his nose, “Yeah, like bananas.”

You laughed and grabbed the food that you had picked up for yourself before taking a seat back in the chair next to Tyler’s bed. He looked over at you and smiled.

“Did I tell you how nice you look today, Y/N?” Tyler said.

“I think you mentioned it,” you giggled, thinking of the numerous times that he had given you the same compliment already.

“Good,” he said. “Because you deserve to hear it.”

“You look handsome today too, Ty.”

“I do?”

“Yes, very handsome.”

He set his sandwich down for a moment and simply grinned in the direction of his legs. It was nice to still see him get so giddy over the simplest things, especially when everything around him seemed so dismal.

“What about me?” Josh chimed in with a laugh.

“You’ve never looked better,” Tyler said, still wearing the same dorky smile.

“Thank you.”

“Thanks for bringing me food, guys. This sandwich is pretty good.”

You reached out and lightly rubbed his arm, “It was no problem.”

“I should probably get going,” Josh announced. “Jim will be needing dinner soon.”

You checked the time, which to your surprise showed that it was already six in the evening. Time had flown by and you only had an hour left with Tyler before the nurses would finally kick you out.

“Alright, drive safe,” you said.

Josh pushed himself up out of his chair and walked over to the far side of Tyler’s bed so that he could give him a quick hug.

“Same time tomorrow?” Josh asked as he started to back out of the room.

“It never changes,” Tyler smiled.

“Great,” Josh grinned before turning and walking out the door.

He waved through the window before disappearing. You scooted your chair a little closer so that you didn’t have to stretch as far to reach Tyler’s hand.

“You know, I like when Josh is here, but I look forward to the hour at the end of the day that I get to spend with just you,” Tyler smiled.

You squeezed his hand, “I enjoy spending time with you, too.”

“I can’t wait until I get to come home again. I miss snuggling up with you in our bed. Especially when you fall asleep on my chest halfway through the movie we’re watching.”

“Things will be like that soon enough, Ty.”

He nodded, “I think about those moments a lot.”

“What moments?”

“Moments where the only thing that matters is you and I. Like when we got married. Or when we go on walks in the morning and the sun has just come up over the hill. Or right now.”

“Those are good moments,” you said, bringing his hand to your lips so that you could press a kiss to his knuckles.

“You know what the hardest part of all this is?” he asked.

You felt a lump form in your throat, but you swallowed it and kept talking, “What is that, Ty?”

“The thought that, if I don’t get better, I might have to leave you.”

Your eyes were brimmed with tears before he had even finished his sentence, “You’re not gone yet.”

“Not yet,” he smiled. “And I won’t be anytime soon.”

“That’s right.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

With a shaky hand, he reached up and gently brushed one of your tears away. You grabbed his hand and held it to your cheek for a moment, just enjoying being close with him. He smiled and slowly rubbed his thumb along your cheekbone.

The two of you sat and talked for the rest of the hour, reliving some of your favorite memories together or just talking about life. Aside from the occasional coughing fit, Tyler seemed to be doing pretty good. He was happy, to say the least.

Right at seven, one of the nurses popped in and told you it was time to go. You gave her a thumbs up and said you would be out in just a minute, you just wanted to say goodbye to Tyler real quick.

“I’ll be back right at eleven tomorrow, ok?”

“I think the nice nurse is working the morning shift tomorrow, so you might be able to slip in early.”

“You know I would be here fifteen minutes early, anyway,” you laughed.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, lovely.”

You bent over the edge of the bed so that you could give him a kiss. He held you close for a moment, claiming that he just wanted to admire you, before taking hold of your hand.

“I love you,” he smiled. He made a point of telling you every day before you left.

“I love you too, Ty.”

You each squeezed your hand for a moment before you let go and walked out into the hall. Tyler’s face had fallen a little as soon as you left the room, but you knew that you couldn’t stay. 

 

You closed the front door with your hip and walked into the kitchen. Your arms were full of groceries that you had put off buying for weeks in hopes that Tyler would be able to go with you. Grocery shopping on your own had never exactly been a hobby of yours.

Tyler had texted you while you were driving home. Now that you were no longer occupied, you decided to take a look at it. It was a short text, but it made you smile nonetheless.

_ Thinking of you tonight (just like every night). I love you _

You typed out a response and set your phone back on the counter. As soon as all the groceries were put away and dinner was made, you were going to watch the movie that Tyler had told you about earlier that day. It would help you take your mind off of not being by his side while also giving you a way to feel closer to him, which you were thankful for.

You hummed as you finished putting things away. It was one of the few things that made the house feel less empty. 

 

The sound of your phone vibrating against the wooden coffee table woke you up. You hadn’t even realized that you had fallen asleep towards the end of the movie, but it explained why you were still on the couch in the living room at close to two in the morning. The endcard of the movie was shining on the screen.

“Phone,” you muttered as you reached forward.

You blinked your eyes a few times to clear the sleep from them. Your eyes scanned the name and your stomach immediately sank. The contact name was one simple word.

Hospital.

You hit answer call immediately and brought the phone to your ear, clearing your throat as you did so to sound less sleepy.

“Hello?”

“Is this Y/N Joseph?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Sorry to bother you so late, but we have news about your husband.”

“Is he ok?”

“Unfortunately, he passed away about an hour ago due to complications from his illness. Doctors tried to revive him, but they were unsuccessful. I’m sorry.”

You sat frozen in place, staring at the ground. Everything had seemed fine earlier today. Had Tyler even known that something was wrong?

“Is there anything that I need to do?”

“We’ll be in contact with you about steps to take from here.”

“Ok, thank you.”

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

It felt like time had stopped as you slowly reached forward and set your phone on the coffee table. All of the air from your lungs was gone, taken away in an instant. Your hands were shaking as you reached up and brushed back the hair that was stuck to your forehead.

You weren’t sure how long it was before you finally got yourself to get off the couch and walk towards your bedroom. Your legs felt stiff and slow, like they weren’t moving quite right. Nothing felt right, if you really thought about it. The world felt different, now that you knew he was gone.

The bed was cold as you slid under the covers and pulled them up around your neck. You no longer felt tired. Or sad. Or anything, really. Everything just seemed empty. But it was late and now you had a whole new list of things that would have to be dealt with in the morning, so you decided to try and get some rest.

All you could think of as you fell asleep was Tyler.

 

“Hey, come on,” Josh said, pulling the covers down off of your shoulders a little bit.

“No,” you grumbled, pulling them right back up again.

“Y/N, you can’t stay in bed forever. That’s not what Tyler would want for you.”

“Don’t you dare drag him into this,” you snapped, finally turning to look at him.

You know you looked like a mess. The last few days had consisted of nothing but laying in bed sobbing. It was the only thing that you could get yourself to do.

“I didn’t mean it like-,” Josh sighed. “I’m just worried about you.”

“I’ll be fine. I just need some time.”

“Will you at least come downstairs with me? I brought stuff to make you your favorite lunch.”

You felt the bed dip with Josh’s weight. He rested a hand on your arm and gently rubbed it with his thumb.

“Do I have to get dressed?”

“Nope, you can wear exactly what you’re in right now.”

“I’ll be down in a second.”

“Ok.”

You waited until you heard the sound of the bedroom door closing before you actually got up. Slowly, you shuffled towards the bathroom, deciding that you could probably do with a quick face wash and brushing out your hair.

You took a long look at yourself as you stood at the bathroom sink, still not quite wanting to go through the motions of washing your face. Your entire face was puffy from crying, especially around your eyes. The bags under your eyes were deep from barely sleeping and Tyler’s sweatshirt that you were wearing was dotted with stains from crying. It was a wonder that Josh could even manage to look at you, really.

You took your time making yourself look somewhat decent before heading downstairs. Josh was already in the kitchen, working on making the food for the two of you. Jim, who you hadn’t realized Josh had brought along, perked up when he noticed you come down the stairs.

“Do you want to take a seat at the counter?”

“Sure,” you mumbled.

You slid into one of the stools and rested your elbows on the counter. Josh managed a small smile and you wondered how he seemed so put together despite everything that had happened.

“What’s on your mind?” he asked.

“I just don’t understand,” you said, voice already beginning to break. “He seemed like he was doing well when we went to see him a few days ago, and then I got the call that he was gone. They said that he had more time.”

“They can’t always accurately predict those things.”

“I know. I just wish that I had known it was our last day together. I could have prepared myself or said more to him.”

Josh walked around the counter and pulled you into his chest. You were surprised that there were any more tears left in you.

“I just… I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. **”**

“I don’t think any of us were.”

“How am I supposed to move on from this? And keep living without him?”

Josh stepped away to hold you at arm’s length.

“We’ll find little ways to make it through. Then, one day, it might not hurt as much to think about.”

You nodded slowly, “There’s so much that needs to be done. His family and the funeral and the fans. There’s too much.”

“Hey,” Josh rubbed your arm slowly. “Right now you only need to focus on today. This moment, even. Can you do that for me?”

“Yeah, I can.”

“Tyler loved you. Never forget that. He would want you to be happy.”

You wiped away a tear with the back of your hand, “You’re right.”

Josh smiled and went back to making food. You took a deep breath and leaned back in your chair. He was right, the pain wouldn’t last forever. Things would just have to be handled one at a time.

Then, one day, you and Tyler would be together again.


	43. Let It Out

You pressed your face deeper into the pillow, trying desperately to block out your thoughts by focusing on the quiet whir of the fan that stood at the foot of the bed. Tyler was snoring lightly next to you, unaware that you had been unable to sleep for the last few hours. The only indicator of the time was the moon outside, slowly sinking lower in the sky. You had pushed your alarm clock onto the ground in a fit of frustration some time ago.

Another memory of something embarrassing you had said at the dinner earlier tonight ran through your mind, making your stomach twist in discomfort again. You squeezed your eyes shut and forced your face deep enough in the pillow that you could no longer breathe through your nose. The fabric of the pillowcase wrinkled between your fingers as you tried to push the thought out, but it remained bouncing around your head.

With a sigh, you gently pushed the covers off of your body - it was too hot for them, anyway - and slowly made your way across the bedroom, making sure to avoid the spot in the floor that you knew would creak loudly if you stepped on it wrong. Tyler didn’t even stir as you slowly closed the door and turned the light on, keeping it dim enough that it wouldn’t ruin what little bit of tiredness you did feel.

Your feet made quiet padding sounds as you walked over to the sink and began to run the water. It splashed quietly against the porcelain, mesmerizing you for a moment before you remembered why you had even come into the bathroom in the first place. Keeping your hair pushed back with one hand, you used the other to splash cool water over your face. Some of the water ran down your wrist and fell onto your shirt, creating dark spots on your loose tank top.

All you wanted was to get that stupid dinner out of your mind. You should have listened to your gut when it told you not to go in the first place - being around famous people had never been one of your favorite pastimes - but you had wanted to support Tyler. Now you were here, unable to sleep because your mind wouldn’t stop its endless loop of every mildly embarrassing thing that had slipped past your lips.

You shut the water off and rested your hands against the edge of the sink. Your breathing had started to get shaky again, so you shut your eyes and carefully counted your breath. Josh had taught you some breathing techniques one time after a particularly stressful show. They had come in handy a number of times since then, although it didn’t feel like they were doing much tonight.

You shut the bathroom light off and slipped back into the bedroom, once again being careful to avoid the creaky spot in the floor. One glance at Tyler sleeping was almost enough to ruin your careful attempt to avoid waking him. He was half-wrapped up in blankets, his mouth hanging open against his dark pillow. The fan was rustling his hair slightly and his basketball shorts had ridden halfway up his thighs, revealing the typically hidden Josh tattoo that resided there.

“Y/N?” Tyler croaked before you had even made it back to the bed. “What are you doing?”

You started a bit, not having realized that Tyler had woken up from his deep sleep.

“Can’t sleep,” you murmured as you slid beneath the covers. “Brain won’t shut off.”

Tyler reached out and gently curled his fingers around your forearm. His eyes were still half-shut, his sleepy demeanor not totally worn off yet.

“Want to talk about it?”

You shifted slightly, “You’re tired, Ty. It’s ok.”

His grip on your forearm tightened, pulling you towards him.

“No,” he mumbled, his voice slowly growing stronger. “Rather listen to you.”

“I doubt that.”

He nodded against his pillow, which you realized was noticeably closer than it had been a moment ago.

“Just let it out.”

You finally succumbed and allowed him to pull you entirely into his chest. His bare skin was radiating heat against your cheek, but you didn’t mind if it meant being close to Tyler. The steady drum of his heartbeat also helped to slow yours.

“I made a fool of myself at dinner. You could just tell from the looks on their faces that they thought I didn’t deserve to be there. And I don’t. I’m not famous, just dating somebody who is.”

“They didn’t think any less of you,” Tyler said. His voice was hoarse, but steady and reassuring. “Trust me, you deserved to be there more than half of those people.”

“Thanks,” you said, letting a small laugh escape. 

“I know you don’t believe me, but it’s the truth.”

Tyler wrapped his arm tighter around you, letting his fingers rest on the strip of skin that was exposed beneath your tank top. You idly traced his chest tattoo, your eyes fixated on the tree just outside the window. It was waving idly in the summer wind.

“Why do you put up with me, Tyler?”

“Put up with you? Now that seems like an odd way to phrase it.”

“There’s so many people out there for you to choose from. People that are like everyone else at the dinner tonight that won’t make a total fool of themselves. You could be with someone funnier, or more attractive, or that could actually be on tour with you all the time. But instead you put up with me, who has other responsibilities and looks average and gets maybe one or two good jokes a day,” you sighed, blinking back tears that you hadn’t even felt coming. Maybe the thoughts in your head tonight went deeper than you realized.

“Because I don’t want someone funnier or more attractive or that’s on tour with me all the time. In fact, I admire that you would rather spend time away from me to work on something that you’re passionate about. I don’t want someone that wants to be around me all the time, because it makes the time we do get that much better. And I know you’ve heard me tell you how stunning and hilarious you are a million times already.”

“I suppose so,” you mumbled into Tyler’s chest.

He used his free hand to tilt your head up towards him and carefully wipe away your tears with his thumb. You stared into his brown eyes, letting your mouth curl into a small smile.

“I love you,” he said. “You, Y/N. Not anybody else.”

“I love you too, Ty.”

“There’s nobody else that I would rather come home to every night,” he said, pressing a gentle kiss to the tip of your nose. “Or wake up next to every morning.”

“Well, almost every morning.”

He smiled and pressed a kiss to your cheek.

“I love your smile.” Another kiss. “And your laugh. Your sense of humor. And when you touch me,” he sighed wistfully, “I think I melt a little.”

“Like this?” you giggled, running a thumb along his cheekbone.

His eyes fluttered closed as he leaned a little further into your touch.

“Exactly like that.”

You eventually dropped your hand back down to Tyler’s chest. His eyes slowly opened, still slightly glazed over from sleeping. 

“Do you want to hear more about why I love you?” he asked quietly.

“I think I get your point.”

You leaned forward and properly kissed him. His grip on your waist grew a little tighter, holding you close to him. It was a slow, sleepy kiss that made you never want to pull away.

“Thank you, Ty,” you whispered. Your lips were still close enough to Tyler’s that they brushed together now and again. “I’m sorry for waking you up in the middle of the night, but it means a lot that you were willing to calm me down.”

“I would do anything for you,” he smiled, leaning forward to kiss you again. “Even if that means waking up in the middle of the night.”

“We can go to sleep now. I think I’ve calmed down enough to sleep.”

You started to shift back to your side of the bed, but Tyler caught you and held you close.

“You know, I think I might have some other ideas that might help you sleep.”

Your heartbeat sped up significantly as Tyler’s hands began to travel lower on your hip.

“Oh yeah?”

Tyler rolled so that he was now hovering over you, trapping you between his body and the bed. He leaned down and peppered kisses along your jaw.

“Mmmhmm,” he mumbled.

You giggled as Tyler continued to kiss his way down your neck. Before he got too far, you caught his jaw and tilted his head so that you could look into his eyes.

“I love you, Tyler Joseph.”

“I love you too, Y/N Y/L/N.”

And with that, all of your insecurities were forgotten.


	44. Tipsy

“I look dumb, Ty, this was a bad idea,” you groaned upon catching a glimpse of yourself in the side view mirror. “Let’s go home so I can get changed.”

Tyler reached over and rested a hand on your knee, “Love, everyone is going to look like an idiot. We’re all dressed like we’re from the 80s.”

“You don’t think the eye makeup is too much?”

“I think it’s just enough.”

Tyler leaned over the console and pressed a gentle kiss to your cheek. You smiled and rested your hand on top of his, giving it a light squeeze.

“Thanks.”

“Alright, now let’s get in there and show these people how to party.”

You took a deep breath before following Tyler out of the car and up the path to Josh’s front door. The music inside was already audible, paired with the muffled voices of people screaming lyrics alongside it. Tyler reached over and laced his fingers with yours.

“Hey! If it isn’t Joseph and Joseph!” Josh called as you walked into the living room. He was decked out in his own 80s outfit, but had opted for a crown as his headgear - a clear reminder of his birthday status. “Thanks for coming.”

“Happy birthday, Josh!” you smiled, pulling him into a hug.

“Thirty years,” he sighed. “You look amazing, by the way.”

Tyler gave you a gentle nudge in the side, “Told you.”

“Tyler! Man! Great to see you! Look at this outfit!”

Josh threw an arm around Tyler and pulled him into a hug. They embraced for a moment before Tyler pulled away. It seemed that Josh had already had his fair share of drinks, and the night was only beginning.

“Thanks, Josh,” Tyler smiled, clapping a hand down on his shoulder.

“Drinks and food are in the kitchen, dancing is that way. Who am I kidding? You two know your way around,” Josh smiled, waving a hand in your direction.

He quickly became distracted by more people walking through the front door. Tyler wrapped an arm around your waist and led you towards the kitchen. As Josh said, there was a variety of snacks and drinks set out for the taking. You looked through the cooler while Tyler piled up a plate with food.

“Do you want a drink, Ty?”

“Yeah, can you grab me a beer?”

You turned to look at him, “You’re going to drink tonight?”

“Just a little, is that ok?”

“Yeah, of course. I just want to make sure one of us is ok to drive home.”

Tyler walked over to you, now holding a plate of food in one hand. He rested a hand on your shoulder and squeezed lightly.

“How responsible,” he smiled, kissing your cheek again.

“Well one of us has to be.”

*     * *

An hour and a half later, you were watching Tyler and Josh dance in the middle of a crowd of people. With a little encouragement from Josh, Tyler’s one beer had turned into two, then three, then four. Now you were here, watching your tipsy husband and his best friend bust out their best dance moves in the middle of the living room.

“Y/N! Y/N! Watch this,” Tyler called, not that it was needed. You hadn’t been able to stop watching him and laughing the entire time.

“I’m watching, Ty.”

Tyler nodded, straightened out his shirt a little, and proceeded to move his arms in a dramatic circle. You stood and laughed, admiring how little Tyler cared about all the people who were watching him. Years of performing in front of crowds could do that to you, you supposed.

“Come dance with me, love.”

You considered his offer for a moment, but ultimately shook your head. One drink wasn’t enough to get you on that dance floor.

“Love, please,” he whined, sticking out his lower lip. He was still dancing, even though his attention was on trying to get you to join him.

“Ty, there’s so many people.”

“None of them are watching.”

“All of them are watching.”

Tyler closed the space between you and reached out, placing his hands on your hips.

“Just try. If you hate it, I won’t make you dance anymore.”

“Ok, ok. One song.”

Tyler immediately began to grin. He just barely pulled on your hips, leading you back to the dance floor. Having Tyler in front of you with his hands on your hips proved to be enough to make you forget about all the other people in the room.

“You know, you have to move your body for it to be considered dancing,” Tyler smiled.

“I’m working on it.”

Tyler decided to take matters into his own hands - quite literally - and began to move your hips a bit more, mirroring his own. Unsure what to do with your arms, you crossed them over your chest.

“What are you doing that for?”

“Doing what?”

“Crossing your arms.”

“What else am I supposed to do?”

“Put them on my shoulders.”

“But we aren’t slow dancing.”

Tyler sighed and dramatically rolled his eyes at you. “Does it matter?”

You finally gave in and put your hands on Tyler’s shoulders. He used this as an excuse to pull you closer to him and start swaying a bit more to the music.

“See? Is this so bad?”

“I suppose not.”

*     * *

You had expected Tyler’s tipsiness to wear off by the time you got home, but thanks to a few last-minute beers, he was still acting like the giggly idiot you had first met at a party many years ago.

“Y/N!” Tyler called to you from the living room. “Where are you?”

“In the kitchen, Ty, getting you water.”

“Why are you doing that?”

“Because you’re drunk and you need it.”

“I’m drunk?”

You laughed to yourself as you finished dropping a couple ice cubes into a glass.

“Yes, Ty, you’re very drunk.”

Tyler sat up from where he had collapsed down onto the couch so that he could look at you. He was still wearing his fake glasses, but they had gone a bit askew after laying on the couch. His hair had also become a bit of a ruffled mess.

“Thanks,” he mumbled as he took the water from your hand.

You walked around and took a seat by his knees. He had leaned back into the couch and was taking tiny sips from the glass.

“Hey, you want to know something, love?”

You rested a hand on his knee, “What is that?”

“I love you and I think you’re the most beautiful person in the world.”

You were unable to stop the smile that immediately spread across your face at Tyler’s compliment.

“I love you, too.”

“And I think you’re the sexiest mo-”

“Ty! Ty, hey, tone it down a little.”

“Sorry,” he giggled, bringing the cup to his lips. “I just wanted to make sure you knew.”

“I know. Don’t worry.”

Tyler’s mouth curled up into a smile as he glanced around the room. You sat and admired him, wondering how he could still be so sweet while this drunk.

“While you drink that, I’m going to run upstairs and grab pajamas for us so we can be comfy while we watch a movie, ok?”

“Ok.”

You started to walk past Tyler, but he caught your arm.

“Promise you’re coming back?”

“I promise,” you smiled, leaning down to press a quick kiss to his lips. It tasted like alcohol.

“Hurry back,” he called as you were halfway up the stairs.

“Don’t worry. I always will.”


	45. Summer Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: None (except maybe some fluff without plot)
> 
> Word Count: 2480
> 
> Request: Someone on Tumblr sent me this prompt: “Hi friends just here to remind you not to imagine your otp on a hammock together. Don’t imagine Person B is asleep on Person A’s chest and definitely don’t imagine Person A with one foot on the floor so they can rock the hammock in hope of keeping Person B asleep” as well as some of her favorite tropes, and this fic was born :)
> 
> Author’s Note: I thought all of you could do with some nice fluff after the last chapter of PMW that I put you through :) hopefully this makes up for it!

Tyler’s fingers were laced comfortably between yours as you walked down the beach, enjoying the crashing of the waves and the first break from tour that the two of you had had in months. Clouds lingered overhead, but the air was still warm and dry so you had decided to stay out just a little longer. There would be plenty of time for lounging around the house you two had rented later.

“Do you want to walk in the ocean?” Tyler asked.

You turned to look at him, admiring the way his brown eyes were shining in the sunlight. His eyebrows were raised slightly, waiting for your answer.

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

You allowed Tyler to lead you closer to the water. The two of you only went ankle-deep at first, adjusting to the cooler temperature of the water from the warm sand you had been on a moment before. Slowly, the two of you inched farther into the ocean until the water was lapping around your knees. Tyler came up behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist, letting his head fall forward until it was resting on your shoulder.

“I’m surprised you haven’t tried to splash me with water yet,” you laughed, resting your own arms on top of his.

“I thought about it, but then you’ll be upset with me and if you’re upset with me then you won’t cuddle with me when we get back to the house.”

“Wouldn’t that be a tragedy.”

“It would indeed,” he murmured against your ear before pressing a kiss to your cheek.

The two of you stood in the water for awhile, admiring the distant crashing of waves and the way the water rippled around your feet. Tyler would occasionally hum a quiet melody, most likely without fully realizing what he was doing. It was a common occurrence.

“Did you feel that?” you asked.

“Feel what?”

“I thought I felt a raindrop.”

You turned and looked overhead. A few dark clouds were in the sky, but the forecast that morning hadn’t had any indication that there would be a rainstorm. Tyler held a hand out with his palm to the sky. Droplets of water slowly started to fall onto his hand.

“Looks like you were right.”

“We should get back to the house before it picks up.”

The two of you made your way back to the sand, picking up your sandals on the way, and started to walk down the beach. Tyler laced his hand with yours again, though the lazy pace you two had been going at earlier had been abandoned. Now, you were moving quick to try and beat the approaching storm.

You had only made it about halfway back to the house when it really began to pour. Your hair was falling into your face, water droplets dripping from your soaking strands of hair to the tip of your nose. Tyler wasn’t having the same problem, since he had decided to wear a baseball hat for your outing. You were actually kind of enjoying being out in the pouring rain, feeling the water hit your bare skin and bounce off the sand.

“I think we’re almost there,” Tyler said. His head was turned towards the houses that lined the coast, carefully watching for the one you had been staying in.

“It’s ok, Ty, I’m in no rush.”

Tyler turned to you, his eyebrows furrowed. “But it’s pouring down rain?”

“It’s nothing I haven’t gotten used to after living in Ohio.”

He sighed and looked out towards the expanse of beach in front of you, “I suppose. I just thought, since it’s vacation, you would be upset it’s raining.”

“Of course not. As long as we’re together and somewhere other than Columbus, that’s a good vacation to me.”

Tyler used your linked hands to pull you into his side so that he could fully wrap an arm around you. You practically stumbled into him, but he caught you and kept you from falling with hardly any effort. 

“You’re right. Being together is all that matters.”

“Not to mention that sharing a kiss in the rain is always romantic.”

“Sounds like someone is trying to send me a hint,” Tyler laughed.

“Maybe.”

He stopped walking and turned both of you so you were now face to face. His hands automatically went to your hips, holding you close. You smiled and reached your hand up to his hat, spinning it around so that you didn’t accidentally run into it when you inevitably ended up kissing him. His eyes didn’t leave you the entire time.

“So are you going to kiss me or what?”

“I was just taking a moment to admire you,” he smiled.

You moved your hand from where it was resting up to his cheek, lightly tracing the stubble that had begun to grow there. Sometimes you wondered how you had ended up with someone so handsome, talented, and kind hearted. 

“Then I’ll take a moment to admire you too.”

You stood still for a moment, letting the rain pour down on you and looking into each other’s eyes until you both started laughing. Tyler wrapped his arms tighter around you, fully pulling you into a hug. You leaned your head into his chest, letting him sway you side to side.

“Ok, ok, I think I owe you a kiss,” Tyler said once his laughter died down.

You leaned back, but still kept your arms wrapped around him. He let go of you so that he could rest his hands on either side of your face and pull you closer until your lips met. Rain ran down your face, pooling against Tyler’s fingers where they were resting on your cheek. You didn’t care, all that mattered was the warmth of Tyler’s lips against yours.

Thunder cracked overhead, interrupting the kiss you and Tyler had been sharing. You both looked to one another with wide eyes, still holding onto one another tightly.

“We need to get back to the house.”

“Agreed.”

Tyler took hold of your hand and the two of you went running off down the sand. He readjusted his hat back around the right way and you held a hand up to your forehead in a vain attempt to keep rain from falling into your eyes and blurring your vision. You tried your best to keep up with Tyler’s pace, though it was hard when the sand kept squishing beneath your feet.

The two of you practically collapsed through the front door as lightning briefly illuminated the now-dark sky outside. Tyler began to laugh as he pulled his soaking hat off and tossed it on the bench near the door, revealing equally damp hair beneath. You smiled and pushed your own wet strands of hair back from your forehead. 

“Definitely didn’t expect that to happen,” you smiled.

“Neither did I,” he answered, ruffling his hair a little. Drops of water flew off of it and hit you in the cheek. “But I would say we did a good job of making the most of it.”

“For sure.”

Tyler grabbed your hips again and pulled you into another kiss. His lips were still wet, but it was just as sweet as any other kiss.

“Alright, Ty, I’m going to go hop in the shower to warm up real quick, get into some fresh clothes, and then we can figure out what to do from here.”

“Why don’t you just get straight in the shower? I’ll toss some of your clothes in the dryer so they’re warm when you get out.”

“Perfect,” you smiled, giving him another quick kiss on the cheek.

You carefully stripped off your soaking clothes and wrung them out over the sink so that they wouldn’t drip quite so much when you hung them up. The water was warm on your body when you finally stepped in, slowly chasing the chill from beneath your skin. You took your time washing your hair and rinsing salt water from the lower part of your body. By the time you were stepping out of the shower, you felt completely refreshed.

“Are you out of the shower?” Tyler called.

“Yeah!”

You heard Tyler’s footsteps as he walked around the house, followed by the mechanical clunk of the dryer door. A few moments later, he popped his head in the door and handed you some clean, warm clothes.

“Thanks, Ty.”

“Of course.”

Not wanting to steal the bathroom from Tyler much longer, you quickly pulled on the comfy clothes he had brought you and dried your hair. He was in the middle of the living room when you finally left the bathroom, standing in front of the TV with his arms crossed. From the looks of it, he was watching the news.

“I was just seeing what they were saying about the storm,” he said, noticing the look of confusion on your face. “Looks like it will pass by tonight, but we’re going to be stuck at the house unless we want to brave the pouring rain again.”

“I’m sure we can make do here,” you said. “Why don’t you go hop in the shower? I’ll warm up some clothes while you’re getting clean.”

“Good idea,” he smiled, shutting off the TV.

While Tyler got in the shower, you dug through his suitcase for his favorite sweatpants and the shirt that he liked sleeping in, on the rare occasion that he decided to wear a shirt to bed. You tossed them in the dryer while he showered and went to sit on the porch in the meantime. It wasn’t often that you got to hear thunderstorms and you wanted to take full advantage of this opportunity.

It wasn’t until Tyler called out to you from the bathroom that you finally left the porch to grab his clothes for him. He happily took them from you and closed the bathroom door again. This time, you decided to wait in the living room, knowing it would be hardly any time until he was out of the bathroom and ready to spend the evening with you.

“Alright, what’s the plan?” Tyler asked, running a hand through his wet hair.

“Well, it’s still early in the afternoon. We could watch a movie?” Tyler’s nose scrunched. “You don’t like that idea?”

“We can watch movies after dinner tonight. What if we sit out on the porch?”

“I thought you didn’t like storms?”

“I don’t, but I know that you do and I wouldn’t mind spending some time out on the hammock cuddling with you.”

You smiled, once again finding yourself wondering how in the world you had gotten so lucky. Tyler matched your smile and held a hand out to you, helping you up from the couch. He pressed a quick kiss to your cheek as you walked out to the back porch where a hammock was strung up.

“Ok, we have to be careful about this,” Tyler laughed as he sat down. “Otherwise we’re going to end up on the ground.”

“Why don’t you get comfortable first? Then we’ll work from there.”

Tyler carefully laid down in the middle of the hammock, occasionally letting a look of sheer panic cross his face as the hammock wobbled a little more than he was comfortable with. You tried not to laugh since he was already doing something he was uncomfortable with in order to be out here with you in the first place.

“Ok, I think I’m comfortable and balanced.”

“Alright, I’m going to try and lay next to you, then. You might have to shift in order to keep the balance even.”

“Ok.”

After a bit of wobbling and a couple worried outbursts, you and Tyler had finally made yourselves comfortable on the hammock. Your head was rested comfortably on his chest and one of his arms was keeping you held close to him, preventing you from rolling right off the side. Tyler also let one of his legs drape over the edge so that he could slowly sway you two from side to side.

“Thank you for taking me on this vacation, love,” Tyler murmured. “It was much needed.”

“Thank you for coming with me. I’ve had a great time so far.”

“I wish we never had to leave.”

“I know. Me too.”

You began to idly trace your fingers along Tyler’s tattoos, admiring how the ink contrasted against his skin. His tattoos were something you had always loved about him, even before you knew the deeper meaning behind them.

“I love you so much, Y/N. I hope you know that.”

“I do know that. And I hope you know that I love you too.”

“Can I pretend to forget so that you’ll say it again?”

“I love you, Tyler Joseph.”

“Ok, now I remember,” he smiled.

You laughed and turned a little further into Tyler’s chest, hiding your face from view. He joined your laughter and rubbed his hand along your arm, letting his fingers just barely ghost over your skin.

More thunder cracked overhead, making Tyler tense for a moment. You fully wrapped your arm around him, applying what little bit of pressure you could manage from the position you were laying in. After a moment, he relaxed again and returned to running his fingers along your arm. With the waves of the ocean crashing in the distance and Tyler beside you, breathing steadily and running his hand along your arm, you thought you might be able to fall asleep right there.

“My eyes are getting heavy,” you mumbled into his chest.

“You can nap, if you want. You deserve the rest and it’s really not going to get more peaceful than this.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

You adjusted your body slightly so that you were more comfortable and allowed your eyes to close. Things were quiet for a moment until Tyler began to softly sing one of the many love songs that you two liked to listen to together. His fingers lightly tapped against your arm, playing the imaginary accompanying piano keys. Before he had even finished the first song, you were asleep.

Tyler didn’t realize that you had fallen asleep until you began to lightly snore against his chest. His singing slowly came to a stop and his arm rested on your hip, holding you tightly enough that you wouldn’t accidentally fall off the side of the hammock but not so tight as to wake you. He soon realized that his own eyelids were growing heavy. A nap definitely didn’t sound like a bad idea.

He let his head roll to the side as his eyes fluttered closed. The thunder had calmed down, leaving just the steady patter of rain on the roof overhead. Not that it mattered, as long as you were next to him he felt safe.

Before he knew it, he was asleep too.


	46. I’ll Always Have Your Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters: sibling!Tyler Joseph, family friend!Josh Dun
> 
> Warnings: Blood, mentions of violence & bullying, description of injury (not very graphic), profanity, general angst
> 
> Word Count: 3213
> 
> Request: Can I get a Tyler sister fic where something happened (idk what) but josh( basically your other brother) saved you from it and you try to pretend it didn’t happen then Tyler finds out and angst and sibling fluff at the end please -Anonymous
> 
> Author’s Note: This is also a highschool!AU. I considered breaking this up into two parts, but didn’t want to make you wait a week for part two, so instead you get a super long one shot this week! I hope you enjoy it :)

****

You winced as you brought a hand to your cheek, gently feeling around for the source of the pain. Your fingers eventually met raw skin, sending a new jolt of pain through your face. When you pulled your fingers back, there was blood smeared on your fingertips.

You bit back a sob as you pulled your knees to your chest, revealing a number of new sore spots. Echoes of the insults the girls had thrown at you rattled around your mind, sending a fresh wave of tears down your cheeks, making the scratches sting more. Your stuff was still scattered across the pavement, now mostly crumpled or ripped. At least the wind had died down from earlier in the day, you didn’t have the energy to chase your homework around the field.

“Y/N! Y/N!”

Your head flicked up, looking for the source of the noise. Already, you were scrambling to a standing position and looking for somewhere to hide in case the girls had decided to come back for a second round. The scratches and bruises they had already given you were going to be hard enough to explain to your family as it was.

The figure rounded the corner before you had a chance to find a spot to hide. His mess of brown hair was a welcome sight and you nearly collapsed from relief. He came running towards you as soon as he spotted you standing in the middle of all your strewn papers.

“Y/N, there you are,” he huffed, reaching forward to grab your arms. “I heard some girls talking about beating someone up and thought I caught the end of your name. Are you ok? Is that blood on your cheek?”

You nodded sheepishly, looking up at him so that he could see the scratches on your face. He was the only one you had told about the girls who had been tormenting you for the last few months, mostly because he was the only one you trusted enough to not escalate the problem.

“What happened?”

“I-It was those girls. I was walking home and I had headphones in so I didn’t hear them coming a-and they cornered me and beat me up,” you choked out between sobs. “I couldn’t do anything, Josh. I was terrified so I just laid there and- I can’t go to school tomorrow. Not after this.”

“Hey, come here.”

Josh pulled you into his chest. You wrapped your arms around his middle, allowing your body to relax completely for the first time all day. It was safe as long as he was around, Josh would be able to protect you.

“Do you need anything?” he asked.

“I just want to go home.”

“I’ll drive you.”

Together, you and Josh gathered up all your school stuff and put it back into your backpack. Josh offered to carry it for you and used his free arm to wrap around your shoulders. You were glad he did it, though you would never say that out loud. It made you feel protected.

“Let me move the stuff out of the front seat, hold on.”

You glanced around the parking lot while Josh leaned over the driver’s side and tossed his own bag and jacket out of the way so that you could sit. As soon as the stuff was out of the way, you slid into the car and locked the door behind you. Even with Josh next to you, you weren’t running any risks.

“Go ahead and pick whatever music you want to listen to. There should also be some napkins in there, if you want to get the blood off your face.”

“Thanks, Josh.”

He nodded and pulled out of the parking lot. You grabbed a napkin out of the glovebox and pulled down the visor so that you could use the little mirror to clean your face. It also provided you with the first clear look at your face. A couple bruises were already beginning to form where you had been hit, right around your eye and cheekbone. Thankfully, you had been able to get your arms up to cover your face before they landed too many hits, but it hadn’t been enough to stop you from scraping up your cheek when they pushed you to the pavement.

“This is going to be impossible to explain to my family,” you sighed, lightly dabbing at a couple beads of blood on your cheek.

“Why don’t you tell them the truth?”

“Are you kidding? My mom would flip and call the school and that won’t do anything aside from making the entire situation worse.”

“You can always transfer. Or do online school. You can’t keep letting yourself get beat up like this, Y/N. It’s dangerous. You need to put a stop to it before it escalates more.”

“You think I don’t know that?” you snapped, flipping the visor back up. “It’s not like I want to practically sprint home every day to avoid getting verbally assaulted or beat up.”

“Why don’t you wait at Tyler’s basketball practices?”

“Tyler said the coach wouldn’t let me. Besides, what’s to stop the girls from showing up at practices?”

“There’s people there.”

“There’s people walking home, too.”

“Then let me drive you home every day,” Josh suggested.

“It’s out of the way for you.”

“I would rather drive a little extra every day than learn you’re in the hospital because some girls decided to take things a little too far. You’re like a sister to me too, you know.”

“Maybe,” you shrugged, leaning forward to grab Josh’s CD case. “I’ll just keep a better eye out next time and not wear headphones.”

“Y/N…”

“I’m done talking about this,” you said, never letting your eyes leave the CDs.

“Ok.”

You eventually found something you wanted to listen to and slid it into Josh’s radio. It made familiar mechanical clicking sounds before the CD started to play.

“Good choice.”

“Thanks,” you said, zipping the case back up and stuffing it into Josh’s messy glovebox. “Hey, why were you at school late today, anyway?”

“I had to talk to one of my teachers about a project. I was about to leave when I saw those girls hightailing it out from behind the school, so I nonchalantly walked past them, heard your name and them talking about beating someone up, and then came running.”

“Oh, well, thank you. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come and gotten me.”

“I’m always going to look out for you, Y/N. And I know Tyler would do the same.”

“Right.”

The rest of the car ride, which was hardly more than a few minutes, was quiet. Once Josh pulled up outside your house, you twisted back - a bit uncomfortably, you might add - to grab your backpack and pull your house keys out of it. Your siblings, aside from Tyler, would most likely already be home, but it was your goal to get inside and upstairs without being seen by any of them.

“Thanks for giving me a ride home, Josh,” you said, already halfway out the door.

“No problem. And hey, Y/N?”

“Yeah?”

“Please talk to Tyler about what happened.”

“Ok,” you answered, knowing it was the only way to get him off your case.

“It’s going to be fine.”

“I know.”

Josh smiled as you closed the door and walked inside. He waited until you had opened the front door before driving off, just to make sure you got inside safe. 

Your entire body tensed as you stood just inside the door, not quite closing it yet. You listened carefully, trying to figure out where exactly each member of your family was in the house. From the sounds of it, Maddy was sitting at the kitchen table doing homework and your brothers were up in the den playing video games, like usual. You closed the door, making sure to lock it behind you, and then ran upstairs and directly into the bathroom.

“Hello?” Zack called.

“Hey, Zack!” you answered, glancing at the door to make sure it was locked.

“Oh, it’s you, Y/N! I didn’t know what was happening because I heard the door close and then someone went sprinting up the stairs.”

“It was just me! I drank a ton of water during last period and had to pee really bad,” you said, hoping it was a convincing lie.

“You’re home late!”

“I ran into Josh after school and we talked for awhile! He gave me a ride home, too.”

“Ok!”

You waited to see if Zack would say anything else, but you only heard their video games start back up again. Your shoulders dropped a little and you immediately opened the medicine cabinet, grabbing at whatever supplies you thought you might need. By the time you were done, you had a small assortment of tools on the counter in front of you to deal with your injuries.

You lost track of how long you were in the bathroom, pouring peroxide onto your cuts and examining your body for new bruises. Eventually, everything that needed to be attended to was and all of the supplies were back in the cabinet, sitting exactly as you had found them. You pulled your dirty shirt back on, grabbed your backpack, and quickly shuffled out of the bathroom and down the hall to your room.

Once in the safety of your room, you once again stripped out of your clothes and pulled on an oversized sweatshirt that you had stolen from one of your brothers. It hung well past your hands and the hood was oversized, making it harder to get a clear look at your face. You would have to cover the marks with concealer before you were called downstairs for dinner, but you wanted to try and get some of the swelling down before you did that. Your torn jeans were also traded out for a pair of comfy leggings that were less stiff when you tried to move around in them. The dirty clothes ended up stuffed in the back of your closet where your mom wouldn’t accidentally end up finding them

You were halfway out of your room to make your quick trip to the kitchen when you heard the front door open. Whoever it was dropped a ton of stuff next to the stairs with a thud and swung the front door closed. It was loud, making you jump a little.

“I’m home!” they called.

Tyler.

You immediately dove back into your room and shut the door before he could come upstairs. He would know something was up immediately and start asking a million questions, all of which you wouldn’t want to answer. Thankfully, after a short stop in his room, you heard him walk into the bathroom and start up the shower. You took this as your opportunity to run downstairs and grab a bag of frozen peas from the freezer.

“What are you doing?” Maddy asked. You had almost forgotten she was at the kitchen table.

“Getting a snack,” you said, pulling your hood a little further over your face as you looked for the peas.

“From the freezer?”

“Mmmhmm.”

“That’s weird.”

“I was just seeing what my options were.”

You quickly glanced at Maddy to see if she was still looking at you. She had turned back to her homework, so you grabbed the peas and stuffed them into the pocket of your sweatshirt where they would be less visible. For added effect, you walked over to the snack cupboard and grabbed a packet of goldfish.

You walked as fast as you could without arousing suspicion all the way back to your room and shut the door again. The packet of peas was a relief on your swollen cheek, if not a bit cold. Not wanting to keep your arm up to hold the vegetables on your cheek, you walked over to your bed and leaned back so that gravity would keep them in place.

You were scrolling through Tumblr, trying your best to ignore the combination of physical and psychological discomfort from your day, when there was a knock on your door. Panic flooded through you and you immediately rolled onto your side with your back to the door, hiding your face from the view of whoever had come to see you.

“What?” you asked, trying your best to sound annoyed.

“Can I come in?” Tyler asked.

“Why?”

“I need to talk to you about something.”

You didn’t like the sound of that.

“About what?”

“I don’t know, but Josh told me I should come talk to you once I got home.”

“Dammit,” you muttered. “No, you can’t come in.”

“Why not?” Tyler asked. His tone had become more defensive.

“Because I said so.”

“Alright, you leave me no choice.”

You sat up at the sound of your door opening, temporarily forgetting why you had tried to stop him in the first place. Tyler closed the door behind him and turned to face you; what little happiness he had on his face was gone in an instant. As soon as you realized why he was making that face, you scrambled to cover your injuries with your hand, as if it would do anything.

“Who did that to you?”

“Nobody. I fell.”

“Don’t bullshit me, Y/N, I’ve fallen and been shoved and tossed around in basketball and I’ve never had an injury that bad. Someone deliberately did that to you.”

“No, they didn’t. I fell on the pavement when I was walking home. It isn’t a big deal.”

Tyler crossed the room and grabbed your wrist, pulling it away from your face. You knew there was no point in fighting him, wrestling matches from your childhood taught you that Tyler could move your arm if he really wanted to. You might as well give in while his touch was still semi-gentle.

“I’m not going to ask again: who did this to you?”

“Just some girls in my grade,” you said, unable to meet his eyes. “Ty, I swear it isn’t a big deal.”

“Isn’t a big deal? Y/N, you have a black eye coming in and scrapes all across your cheek, and that’s just what’s visible. They attacked you. This is a huge deal.”

“I don’t want it to be,” you said, already feeling the tears coming. “I just want to be left alone. That’s all.”

“Hey, hold on.” Tyler bent down so that he could make eye contact with you. “Listen, I’m not going to contact anyone about this if you don’t want me to, but we need to figure out how to stop this. I won’t sit idly by while people beat you up.”

You wrenched your arm out of Tyler’s grasp and buried your face in your hands. They were shaking from the effort of holding in sobs so as to not alert the rest of your family that something serious was going on.

“I just want it to stop, Ty,” you repeated. “I want it all to stop.”

Tyler stood up and took a seat on the edge of your bed next to you. Carefully, he scooted closer and wrapped an arm around you.

“Is that ok?”

“Can you move your hand down a little? You’re on a bruise.”

Tyler did as you asked, once again checking that it was ok. You nodded.

“Can you run me through what happened?” His tone had become gentle again.

You carefully described what had happened to Tyler, from leaving school to Josh finding you and taking you home. It took awhile because you kept pausing to take deep breaths and calm yourself down enough to keep talking, but you eventually made it through the entirety of the story. Tyler held you close the whole time, waiting patiently whenever you needed a break.

“This isn’t the first time they’ve been mean to you?”

“It was the first time they got physical, but they’ve had it out for me since the beginning of the year.”

“Do you know why?”

“They just think I’m weird,” you shrugged.

“What?”

“They think I’m weird. I don’t know why.”

“Well, you’re not weird, Y/N. In fact, you’re one of the coolest people that I know and I’m glad you’re my sister. We’re going to get something figured out about this whole situation, ok?”

“I’ll talk to Mom and Dad about it soon. I just don’t want them to contact the school and make things worse.”

“I’ll back you up and make sure they don’t.”

“Also how am I going to explain this?” you asked, gesturing to the bruises that were still on your face.

That reminded you to grab your bag of peas and hold it to your face again. Tyler laughed a little as you did so.

“Easy. We were playing basketball in the driveway and I threw the ball to you, but it hit your face and gave you a black eye.”

“And the scratches?”

“You fell when I was trying to get you inside to ice the bruise. It was a rough game for you,” he laughed.

“Way to make me sound like a klutz,” you joined his laughter, reaching out to shove at his shoulder.

“Hey, it’ll get Mom and Dad off your case.”

“I suppose.”

“And for real, Y/N, I’m going to look out for you, ok? Josh will too. If you ever need us at school because you’re worried something is going to happen, don’t hesitate to come find us. Neither of us want you to get hurt and we can both be intimidating.”

“Josh, maybe. I’m not so sure about you,” you giggled.

“Hey, I’m trying to be nice,” Tyler smiled, reaching forward and pulling you into his chest. One of his hands reached up to ruffle at your hair, though it was difficult for him when your head was covered by a hoodie. “Don’t ruin the moment.”

“Thanks, Tyler. It really does mean a lot. Josh said he can start giving me rides home when you have practice, so I think I might take him up on that offer.”

“Good idea.”

Tyler released you from his grip. You rolled your shoulders, stretching out a few places that were steadily growing more sore. 

“We have your back, Y/N. You aren’t going to deal with this alone.”

“I know. Sorry I took so long to tell you what was going on.”

“It’s ok.” He reached out and rested a hand on your back. “It’s hard to talk about, I get it.”

“Yeah.”

There was a slight pause as you both sat on your bed. Tyler was the first to break the silence.

“Mom needs those peas for dinner, you know.”

“Well I’m going to keep using them until she comes up here and demands them from me.”

“Good plan,” Tyler said sarcastically. “Now what do you say we go play some video games while you ice your eye?”

“I think that sounds like an actual good plan.”

Tyler held a hand out to you and helped you stand up. You fell into step with him and allowed yourself a small smile. It was a nice feeling, knowing that someone out there had your back.


	47. Don't Want The World To See Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Angst
> 
> Word Count: 3022
> 
> Request: Iris - GooGoo dolls for Tyler song imagine
> 
> Author’s Note: As the request indicates, this fic is based on the song Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls! It’s written a little differently than what I usually do, but I think it turned out pretty good. Also, hopefully you aren’t minding all the long fics lately. I’ve been trying to keep them on the shorter side, but I inevitably get carried away ever time. Anyway, I hope you like this one! :)

Confetti was still falling slowly over the crowd, casting a yellow tint to the faces looking back at him. A smile was plastered on his face, but it was only for show. His mind had been elsewhere the entire night, distracting him from fully focusing on the music. It wasn’t a feeling that Tyler was used to and he had done his best to make it appear as if everything was fine, though deep down he knew it wasn’t.

When Josh wrapped a sweaty arm around him, he hardly felt it. A slight nudge reminded him to bring the microphone to his lips and repeat the words he said every night.

“We’re Twenty One Pilots and so are you.”

The room erupted in cheers as Tyler held his hands up, crossing one of his fingers behind the others. He didn’t have to turn his head to know that Josh was doing the same next to him. After one final glance around the room, Tyler turned and walked offstage.

People swarmed around him the second he arrived backstage, taking things from his hands or offering him something. He grabbed a water bottle from a nearby crew member and quickly took off the cap, downing the entire thing in one go. Another faceless hand held a towel out to him, which he took and threw around his neck. His free hand reached up and used the fabric to wipe away the sweat that had collected along his shirt collar.

Crew members threw praise at him as he made his way back to the dressing room, to which he simply smiled and quickly thanked them. In his head, he could only remember all the things that had gone wrong. If you asked him, this had been one of the worst shows of the tour so far. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. With how he was feeling tonight, how could a show have gone  _ well _ ?

It was a relief when he finally made it to his dressing room, providing him with his first moment alone. He needed to take a second to compose himself before he would be stuck on the bus and forced to put on a brave face for everyone. There was only one person that he was ever willing to let to fully let his guard down around, and they were currently halfway across the country at home in Ohio.

Tyler would give anything to be in their arms right about now.

His moment alone was ended promptly by a knock on his dressing room door. A crew member popped her head in shortly after he answered.

“We’re getting ready to pack up the room soon. Do you need more time?”

“No, I’ll be out of here in a second,” Tyler answered.

“Ok. Thank you.”

He slowly wandered over to the mirror on one side of the room and leaned forward, firmly resting his hands on the counter in front of him. He took a moment to study his face, wondering if the pain that he could so clearly see within it was evident to anyone else.

Tyler eventually pulled himself away from the mirror, gathered up what few personal belongings he had brought with him into the room, and began the walk to the tour bus. This was the last moment of peace he would get until he laid down for bed that night, so he was determined to make the most of it. He slowed his pace to nearly a crawl and allowed his eyes to roam over every inch of the plain, concrete walls. If he listened carefully, he could make out the distant hum of people leaving the venue after the show.

Cool wind whipped at Tyler’s cheeks the moment that he pushed the big metal door open. As much as he wanted to avoid people just a few moments longer, the single gust of wind was enough to make him want nothing more than to be wrapped in a warm blanket inside. His feet carried him quickly across the pavement to the tour bus. With shaking fingers, he entered the code and quickly ascended the stairs to the main part of the bus.

“There he is,” Brad smiled, immediately clapping a hand down on Tyler’s shoulder. “Nice job tonight, man.”

“Thanks,” Tyler returned his smile and straightened his back a little. “It was a good show tonight.”

He waited until Brad’s hand had dropped away from his shoulder before making an excuse about needing to get changed and slipping away to the back room. It felt nice to get out of his show clothes and into something more comfortable and clean. Although it didn’t entirely take away the discomfort he was feeling, it did help lift his spirits a little. Before he went to rejoin the rest of the guys, he sent a quick text to Y/N.

**_Tyler:_ ** _ Could really use some time with you tonight. If not, that’s ok too. I love you _

He watched the screen for a moment, silently hoping that they would answer instantly and he would have an excuse to stay in his room for the rest of the night, but when the screen of his phone eventually faded to black, he knew that wasn’t the case. With a sigh, he stuffed his phone back into the pocket of his sweatpants and joined the rest of the guys on the couch.

Josh smiled as Tyler collapsed down onto the couch next to him. Tyler returned the smile, hoping that it was convincing enough to keep Josh off of his case. Normally Josh was his number one confidant when he started having issues on tour, but not today. Today’s issue was a lot bigger than the things they usually talked about, and he wasn’t so sure Josh would understand. Not in the way that Y/N would, at least.

“Did you see me nearly faceplant when I was getting off the platform after Morph?”

It took Tyler a second to register that Josh was talking to him.

“I must have missed that. What happened?”

“I misstepped when I was coming down and ended up landing all funny. One of the security guards ended up catching me before I totally fell onto the concrete.”

“Better than cracking your head open in the middle of a show, right?”

“Right,” Josh laughed. That was a relief to Tyler, that maybe he hadn’t caught on. “But I know it’s going to end up all over Twitter and Instagram regardless.”

“It won’t be the end of the world. There are countless dumb videos of me on the internet.”

“Yeah, I guess it won’t be.”

Tyler reached over and put a hand on Josh’s shoulder, squeezing it lightly. Josh continued to look down towards his lap, but a smile slowly spread across his lips. With his free hand, Tyler reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone to check it. Although he hadn’t felt it vibrate, there was always the possibility that he had missed it.

Or maybe not, as his blank lockscreen indicated.

He checked the time, quickly calculating what time it would be back home. It wasn’t terribly late, and Y/N had gotten into the habit of staying up late to hear about the end of shows, at least when the boys were still playing in the United States. The fact that they hadn’t answered his text was a bit unnerving, but he reminded himself it hadn’t been long since he sent the message in the first place.

“Want anything to drink, Tyler?” Mark asked. He was currently standing in front of the open fridge.

“Yeah, can I have a juice?”

“Sure thing.” 

Mark grabbed a bottle of juice from the fridge and tossed it Tyler’s way. He caught it in one hand and unscrewed the cap, bringing it to his lips in one swift motion. Mark tossed a couple drinks to Josh and Brad before sitting back down on the couch.

Tyler slowly tuned out of the conversation. His eyes were fixated on a small patch of carpet near the wall that was stained a bright color, most likely from someone’s drink that had spilled. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence on the bus.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get himself to stop thinking about Y/N. It had been close to a month since they had last seen one another. It was one of the longest periods they had been apart since they started dating nearly eight years ago. The original plan had been to have Y/N come on tour with the band, as was typical, but a family emergency had forced them to stay at home. Things were just finally getting cleared up, but with the tour coming to a close for the holidays, it had been decided they would stay at home.

Tyler was really wishing he hadn’t agreed to that right about now.

“Tyler? You good?”

Josh’s voice pulled Tyler out of his trance. He blinked a couple times and turned to his friend with a smile.

“Yeah, I’m good. The show really wiped me out so I’m having trouble focusing.”

“That’s alright. Sleep might not be such a bad idea.”

“I’m waiting on a text from Y/N. They mentioned wanting to FaceTime tonight.”

“Gotcha.”

A few more minutes passed. Josh, Mark, and Brad went back to their conversation, which Tyler picked up bits and pieces of but otherwise didn’t contribute to. He continued to check his phone, hoping that he had somehow missed a text from Y/N, but each time it came up blank. Each time he sighed and stuffed his phone back into his pocket.

After a few more minutes of internal debate, Tyler decided to send a second text. Maybe Y/N had missed it the first time and he knew they would feel bad if they accidentally ignored him when he needed to talk to them. He had just started to type when a little bubble popped up on Y/N’s side of the screen, making his shoulders drop in relief.

**_Y/N:_ ** _ Sorry, I was in the shower! Give me a few minutes and then I can call you, sound good? _

Tyler wasted no time in typing out a response.

**_Tyler:_ ** _ Sounds perfect _

“I just heard from Y/N. I think I’m going to head back to my room and talk to them for awhile, so I’ll see you guys in the morning.”

There was a chorus of goodnights as he stood up, stretched for a moment, and then headed to the back room. He made sure the door was completely closed and locked before falling back onto the bed and getting comfortable. The little lamp on the bedside table cast a nice amount of light around the room, keeping the atmosphere peaceful, but not too dark. While he waited for Y/N, Tyler scrolled through photos that the two of them had taken the last time he was home. Though it made his heart a little heavier knowing they weren’t there with him, it also made him smile knowing more moments like those were coming.

He didn’t hesitate to hit answer call on his laptop as soon as the notification popped up. The call struggled to connect for a second, but Y/N’s smiling face eventually popped up on his screen. In an instant, it felt like all the stress of the day had melted away.

“Hi, love,” Tyler grinned.

“Hey, Ty.”

He sat quietly for a moment, just admiring their smile and the way their eyes were shining in the dim light of their bedroom back home. 

“How’s everything going over there?” they asked.

Tyler’s eyes dropped down to his lap, “They’ve been better. The distance is really starting to take a toll on me, I think. Everything feels off, I don’t really know how to describe it, but I know I shouldn’t be feeling this way. I’m out here playing music all around the world, but I get upset if I don’t have you with me? It’s dumb.”

“What you’re doing is hard, Ty. Most people aren’t away from home for months at a time, especially without their families. It’s ok to miss people you care about, even if you are living your dream.”

“I know. I just don’t want the world to see me like this, you know? Breaking down after shows and barely able to keep it together. I don’t think that they’d understand.”

Tyler buried his face in his hands and tried to take deep breaths. His eyes were already starting to brim with tears behind his fingers. He had been keeping it together all day, but now that he was talking it through with Y/N, all the emotion that he had so carefully kept bottled up was beginning to spill out.

“Tyler, love, it’s ok.” He could hear the distress in Y/N’s voice. “Do you have a blanket you can wrap around yourself? That might help.”

Tyler pulled his hands away from his face just long enough to take a look around. Sure enough, there was a blanket sitting near the foot of the bed. It was one that he had taken from home; he and Y/N always used it to snuggle up underneath when they had movie nights.

“I’ve got one,” he sniffled, pulling it up and around his shoulders. He pulled on the fabric until it was tight around his body.

“Is that helping?”

“A little.”

“Don’t beat yourself up for being stressed, ok? You have a lot on your plate with playing shows almost every night, doing interviews, planning for the next leg, and so much more. Plus, on top of that, you’re away from your support system - also known as me, your spouse - which makes things twice as hard. You’ve been going and going and going for almost a full month now,  _ anybody _ in your situation would be starting to wear thin.”

“I know, I know. I just really don’t want to miss you tonight. I want you here, next to me, to wrap my arms around and fall asleep next to. Just one night with you would be enough to get me through these next few weeks.”

Tyler wiped away a few fallen tears with the back of his hand. His breathing had slowed back to near normal, though his eyes were still full of tears that had yet to slip down his cheeks.

“I wish I could be there, Ty, but-”

“No, I know, I’m sorry,” he sighed. “I don’t mean to make you feel bad. This is hard for both of us.”

“You didn’t make me feel bad, love. I would give anything to be next to you, too.”

“I’m ready to cancel the rest of this tour just so I can come home,” he mumbled.

Y/N sighed and pursed their lips. Deep down, they wished he could too, but there were people out there who needed to see Tyler just as much as they did.

“There’s only a few more weeks of shows and then you’re home for the holidays. You’re going to be home before you know it.”

“And we’ll get to decorate the house together,” Tyler said. His mouth curled up into a partial smile.

“Exactly. And we can see your family and sit by the fire together and stay out of the cold air.”

“It’s freezing here. I thought my fingers were going to go numb when I was putting the bus code in. Has it been bad at home?”

“Not too bad. Then again, the most I’ve been outside is to go to and from the car when I go places,” Y/N laughed. Just hearing their laugh made Tyler’s heart flutter. “But it’s definitely not numb fingers cold.”

“That’s good. It will get there eventually.”

“But you’ll be here to keep me warm.”

“Yeah, I will be.”

Tyler and Y/N continued to talk as they each slowly grew more tired. It took Tyler awhile to realize that he had stopped crying, his conversation with Y/N had completely distracted him. Y/N had always had a knack for distracting Tyler without him realizing, it was one of the many things he loved about them.

“I don’t think I can keep my eyes open much longer,” Tyler mumbled. His face was half-buried into his pillow. Y/N had just finished telling him a story, which he had somehow managed to hang onto every word of despite his tired state.

“Should I let you go?”

“Soon.”

“Ok, let me know when I should end the call.”

There was a brief pause in the conversation. Tyler opened his eyes just enough to get another glimpse of Y/N. They were sitting in the living room now, having just finished making cookies to bring to their family the next day. He couldn’t help a smile as he watched them flick through Netflix.

“Hey, can I tell you something?”

“Of course, Ty.”

“Thank you for always letting me vulnerable. You know exactly who I am and have never once criticized me for it and I love you for that.”

“I never want you to hide any part of yourself from me, love. That’s what loving someone is about, loving every single bit of them, perfect or not.”

Tyler’s smile grew even wider, if that was even possible.

“Man, I love you so much. I really am dating the coolest person in the world.”

“I don’t know about coolest, but I appreciate the sentiment nonetheless. I love you too, Tyler.”

“Ok, I need to try and get some rest now. I’ll talk to you in the morning?”

“I’ll text you when I wake up.”

“Ok. Goodnight. I love you.”

“I love you too. Goodnight.”

Tyler was thankful when Y/N ended the call so that all he had to do was shut his laptop and place it on the nightstand. He was barely awake long enough to flip the light off and roll into a more comfortable position.

When he slept, he dreamt of being home with Y/N.


End file.
